Other Side of the Mirror
by John Riehle
Summary: Kim and Ron must face their darkest reflections. Complete.
1. Hero's Lunch

"_Special agent Ron Stoppable, on the job." A young, blonde hair freckled boy declared proudly as he moved to climb up the modestly sturdy branches of the 'tower' in front of him._

"_You're supposed to be a knight in shinning armor, rescuing the princess from the dragon." Remind young Kimmie Possible as she shouted down from her 'dungeon top tower', balancing perfectly atop some loosely nailed in wooden boards over the tree branches._

"_But I want to be a spy." Ronnie Stoppable whined in protest._

"_Spies can't rescue princesses!" Kimmie argued._

"_Yes they can! My spy can." Ronnie insisted._

"_How are you going to get past the dragon?" Kimmie asked, her hands moving to her hips in frustration._

"_Dragon! I didn't agree to that! My spy doesn't do dragons. Union rules." Ronnie stated matter-of-factly, having absolutely no idea what a union was, but quite certain that mention of one would protect him from having to do any work._

"_Spies don't have unions!" Kimmie shouted._

"_Yes, they do." Ronnie retorted._

"_Besides, you have to slay the dragon in order to save the princess, 'cause the dragon's the one that kidnapped me." Kimmie stated frustrated. _

"_Why do dragons have to kidnap princesses? Can't they kidnap tax collectors? Nobody likes them anyway." Ronnie mused in his revelation._

"_Because tax collectors are ugly. Princesses are always really pretty." Kimmie stated simply, in no small way hinting as to her reasoning behind the selection of her role in this game._

"_So why did the dragon kidnap you?"_

_At this, Kimmie Possible grabbed a small sickle little branch and threw it down as special agent Ronnie Stoppable, causing him to squeak in brief panic as he dodged the projectile from the hostile princess._

"_Now hurry up and save me! I've got to go home for dinner soon." Kimmie stated, before quickly recomposing herself, calling out in feign distress. "Help, help. Where oh where is my handsome, strong knight…"_

"_I told you, I'm a spy!"_

"…_. where is my handsome, strong spy to save me from the dragon." Kimmie amended._

"_And I don't do dragons!" Ronnie reminded._

"_Will you just save me already?" Kimmie shouted angrily._

"_Fine, fine." Ronnie grumbled, resuming his climb up the tree, mumbling to himself on the way up. "Stupid princesses, stupid dragons, stupid no-spy-unions."_

-----------------------------------------------------

August weather and teenage appetites once again brought Kim Possible to her favorite fast food chain in the world. Before her stood one of the first Super Taco Splits ever made by Bueno Nacho. Ron had finished the recipe over the summer, and mailed her the complete instructions with a request that she forward it to Bueno Nacho headquarters.

Both Kim and her friend Monique eyed the original Mexican entrée with hesitation. An enormous hard taco shell with three different soft shells rolled up in a bowl like manner, each one of which containing a mix of different ingredients and sides that Kim and Monique hadn't had time to fully identify.

"So, after you?" Kim offered uneasily.

"No, no, I insist. You first." Monique replied with equal uncertainty.

In the end, it was a carnivorous naked mole rat that took the plunge, mouth first, into the mouth watering treat before him, his landing marked by a splash of nacho cheese into the air, disappearing beneath the surface, only to be heard from through the occasional munches and slurps coming from within the dish.

"You know, if we had a camera, we could have just sold Bueno Nacho their commercial for this thing." Monique mused.

Kim smiled idly, merely mumbling something that sounded like agreement, her eyes staring off in the direction of the grueling carnage before her.

"No word from lover boy, huh." Monique frowned. It didn't take a world class detective to figure out what was troubling Kim; same thing that had eaten away at her all summer.

"No. Still no news when he's coming home." Kim sighed, musing how much she would have loved to have been here with him when Bueno Nacho finally unveiled his masterpiece. Instead, she was here with Monique while he was on the other side of the world, at some secret ninja school in Japan for going on three and a half months now. School started next week, and the idea of facing her senior year without him was just unbearable. Worse, for all she knew, he wouldn't be home for another year, if then. It was a sacrifice she had been willing to make for his own good, but making it and living with it were two very different things.

Monique steadied herself as she began to speak. "Kim, I know you're going to flip over this, but have you thought about dating again?"

"What?" Kim's face jumped in shock.

"Huh?" Rufus popped out from within the Taco Split.

"You heard me. I'm talking about you going on an actual date with a guy for a change. Not that I mind taking you clubbing with me or anything. I mean, happy to do a service for a friend and let you have some of the leftovers" Monique added in with no small amount of modesty "but you really need to get out there again."

"Monique, I have a boyfriend!" Kim reminded her, slowly, clearly, in case it might have escaped her memory.

"Yeah!" Rufus added proudly, before spitting a raspberry at Monique for the very idea.

"Now hold on, you know I think the world of Ron, and no one was happier than me when you two finally admitted it to yourselves, but you can't just put your life on hold, hoping that he finally comes back home someday soon."

"My life is not on 'hold', Mon. And I don't have to start dating again even if that were the case." Kim replied matter-of-factly, crossing her arms as if that were all that there was to the matter.

"Kim, do you remember the last time we went to a club together." Monique asked, her gaze closing in on Kim.

"Sure, it was last Saturday night." Kim answered without thinking.

"And how many guys came up and asked you to dance?"

"Uhmm, I don't know. Maybe four or five." Kim answered hesitantly.

"I counted seven. And how many of them did you turn down?" Monique raised her eyebrow at the upcoming response.

"All of them." Kim answered uncomfortably in a half whisper.

"Kim, I don't care how smoking you are, that's just not right. You see my point?"

"Well I'm sorry if I don't feel like running around behind Ron's back and betraying his trust." Kim answered defensively.

Monique threw up her hands in mock surrender. She had been expecting this kind of response from the beginning. "Hang on now. No one's saying you gotta get married to any guy or anything. But I mean, dinner and a movie with another guy would not kill you or Ron. School starts in less than a week, Kim. Don't let your entire summer get spent feeling sorry for yourself."

Kim paused at the idea. She hated it, she really did. The only thing she hated more was the fact that it appealed to her, however so slightly.

"Mon, I don't know. Just because Ron isn't around doesn't mean I want to go running off with random guys from clubs."

"Well, who says it has to be someone you don't know? You could go out with Josh." Monique offered.

That was out of the question. "Monique, he has a crush on me." Kim nearly answered through gritted teeth.

"Well, that probably means he'll be cool with it." She answered with a smile.

"Monique!"

"Ok, ok. Well, what about Felix, huh? He's a friend, so you don't have to go with a stranger, and you can at least have a good time and it won't be cheating on Ron because it isn't."

Kim shook her head almost in fatigue before her head rose up again with renewed surprise.

"Quick, what time is it?" Kim asked with urgency.

"Huh?" Monique was caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. "Uhh, quarter after three. Why?"

"It's here. I gotta run Monique; I'll talk to you later." Kim scooped up Rufus from within the middle of an empty Naco bowl, placing him in her pocket before sprinting out of the booth, out of the restaurant and down the street.

"What's here?" Monique asked rhetorically.

-----------------------------------------------------

Kim rushed home, her front door bursting open to announce, in no uncertain terms that she was home. She didn't bother to establish whether or not anyone else was present within the house, though as it turned, they weren't, she simply ran straight up to her room.

Her mind was ablaze with the excitement usually seen in small children on Christmas morning as she entered her room, looking down on her bed.

Sure enough, a small, lone postcard lay waiting for her, just the same as all the others had.

The front of the card bore the picture of an ancient Japanese monastery that Kim did not specifically recognize. However, as Kim turned the card over, she most certainly recognized the handwriting.

Kim let out a slight yelp as she leapt onto her bed with joy. Even as she bounced on impact with the cushions, Rufus scurried out of her pocket to her shoulder.

This was how it had been the entire summer. Every day at precisely three o'clock, a postcard would appear. It never arrived by regular mail, and in fact, Kim never even saw the messenger. It came without regular postage or even a return address, but it always bore the same handwriting.

"Ninja mail service." Kim mused. Her hands trembled as she held the card, her eyes carefully scanning the card, taking in every word, her mind imagining Ron narrating the contents of the card in an almost hypnotic tone.

"Oh my god." Kim let out a gasp as she read the letter.

-----------------------------------------------------

Sound mind. Sound body. Sound spirit. Three elements crucial to the unimpeded success of a ninja. Without all three in perfect balance, defeat was an eventuality for any warrior, regardless of their skill or the respective skill of their opponent.

The figure knew this better than most. He had come to live by it. Meditation came naturally to him. His mind and spirit honed through training unlike any experienced anywhere else in the world.

The body was the easiest. It could be molded through regular exercise, forced beyond its limits through sheer will. Muscle tore and healed naturally, and bone could be reset.

The spirit was the hardest to master. The conflict of one's soul was a long and challenging road that could be traveled only alone. The greatest challenge of the spirit was honesty. Looking within oneself, and accepting the truths of one's nature, but also understanding that these aspects were not set in stone. For better or ill, they could be changed, so long as one made a continuous effort.

The mind was only slightly less tricky. The true challenge of the mind was serenity. The mind could often be lost in its own conflicts, its numerous voices of doubt, fear, uncertainty and so on. The trick was to quiet these voices, to set them aside and allow the mind a chance to actually think, to focus.

All three were ready. The figure rose, completely covered in black garments that covered his form fully. Reaching out with a steady hand, the figure drew his sword, holding it in perfect balance.

It was not a sword. It was merely an extension of himself. They were a single entity, bonded together, each incomplete without the other. The figure focused on the sword's power… his power. Without him, the sword was mere metal. Idle, useless.

The figure swept the sword through the air with flawless form, flexing it around himself in an elaborate display before bringing the sword down, the tip of the blade no more than a hair's width from the floor.

Moving slowly, the figure dragged the sword across the floor, keeping the tip and the floor in perfect parallel position with one another, never once flinching in the slightest, before bringing it up right in perfect form before himself.

"Begin."

The master's instruction signaled the test. At once, two human sized wooden outlines rose up via a set of springs to the figure's left.

The figure responded instantly. The sword shot out in a precise swipe, cutting with flawless precision through the wooden cutouts, slicing them cleanly, leaving their upper halves to fall harmlessly to the ground.

Three more rose to the figure's right.

This time, he struck with his body. Leaping up with a flying roundhouse that took two heads off. The third wooden outline remained, only to have the right fist of the figure burst right through with terrifying power.

Four more, this time on the opposite side of the room.

Conditioned and experienced hands let fly with a series of shuriken, four of them in one motion, each one hitting their marks dead on, a centimeter above the heart.

Two more, one on opposite sides of the figure.

Instantly, the figure leapt up into the air, kicking out with both legs in perfect form, taking their fragile heads off cleanly.

Four more, one in each corner of the room.

The figure leapt straight across the room in a single fluid motion, landing in front of one and slicing it in half. Two more shuriken flew across the room, dispatching two more outlines, leaving the last. The figure charged it.

Two more burst up to block him.

The figure leapt straight over them, landing behind them and roundhouse kicking their upper torsos straight off. As he did, he came around and let fly with his own sword, hurtling through the air towards the final outline in the corner.

No more arose.

"Well done. You're training here is complete."

The figure looked around, taking in the sight of his own accomplishments.

"Boo-yah!" He exclaimed with pride.


	2. Dark Reflections

Kim's eyes shot wide as she re-read the card, being absolutely certain that she wasn't imagining or misreading its content.

The message was brief, and to the point.

_KP,_

_Miss you. Home soon._

_Love,_

_Ron_

Rufus scampered down Kim's arm holding the card to look at it more closely, before letting out an ecstatic squeak.

"He's coming home!" Kim squealed at the top of her lungs, almost loudly enough to shatter glass. She grabbed Rufus and pulled him close to her cheeks as the two shared a joyous hug.

She couldn't believe it. After all this time, she had almost given up entirely on Ron returning from Japan in time for the new school year. She could barely contain her glee.

It took Kim at least fifteen minutes to calm down enough to go over to her closet and retrieve a specific shoe box that she kept hidden. Kim moved aside the light top to reveal an entire summer's worth of post cards, each bearing a different image of an historic figure or building of Japan, and each one written in the same hand writing, and finished with the same last two words.

Kim almost never removed the box except at night, when she would go through her collection again in order of date mailed. They had been her anchor throughout the entire summer. She had memorized every word of every postcard, reading each one at least twice the day of its delivery, as well as reading the entire collection once a night.

-----------------------------------------------------

Inside his newest lair, a Dr. Drew Lipsky, better known to the world as Dr. Drakken, waited impatiently for a very important delivery. The fact that this delivery was not coming by any legal or normal service did nothing to ease his brooding mind.

"Ok, one Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer all set." Shego announced wearily as she entered the room, motioning to a group of henchmen pulling the unpleasantly heavy device into the large, mostly undecorated laboratory via a set of powerful ropes and pulleys.

"Aha! Finally. " Drakken rushed past Shego to the large apparatus, his fingers almost caressing the device as if it were a lost lover.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Really." Shego rolled her eyes at the pitiful sight of man and his machine before her.

"My precious Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer. You have no idea, the plans that I have for you; all the great things that we are going to achieve together." Drakken's voice was disturbingly soft and tender, as if the machine could possibly be aware of him.

"Unless those plans involve it being a slagged paper weight, you're going to have to put them on hold, Dr. D, because this thing is heading straight from your lab to the garbage dump." Shego's voice raised, adrenaline flowing through her as her gloves lit with green energy.

"SHEGO, NO!" Drakken just had enough time to leap at Shego, tackling her and throwing her aim off as her emerald attack went wide, impacting into the side of the cave wall, sending some rock tumbling harmlessly to the ground. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Never been saner. Now scram." Shego kicked the ineffective scientist to the side, then rose and renewed her aim. Drakken was forced to scurry in front of the device, throwing his arms wide and using himself as a human shield to keep the Inducer from being reduced to melted slag.

"Shego please. Don't you realize how useful this device is? It's potential!" Drakken knew he had no chance of forcing her back with brawns, so he was forced to try reason with his brains, which was not really his strong point either.

"I know the last time you turned that thing on, you got some fruity makeover and I got stuck in intensive care." A fierce growl crossed Shego's face.

"Shego, you were just a nurse." Drakken reminded frankly.

"Exactly, I don't do 'nurse.' I do pain. I don't work in hospitals, I put people in them! Now move." Shego added, hoping that Drakken might pick up on the not so subtle threat in her words.

"NO! Shego, listen, if I can get this thing working properly, the possibilities for us are limitless. Imagine the most fantastic science fiction weapons ever right in our very real hands. You could beat Kim Possible to death with technology that would make that battle suit of hers look like a birthday suit." Drakken forced a smile across his face.

Shego paused for a moment, pondering this happy little scenario, before shaking her head. "Sorry, I'll just have to do it with my own hands. If you lovers have any last words, now's the time."

But before Shego could fire, the entire room came alive with a light blue energy that centered around a strange swirling vortex located directly within the center of the room, illuminating the entire chamber with an eerie glow. The vortex flashed and simmered fiercely like a storm in the middle of the lair. Shego turned to Drakken furiously.

"What did you do?"

"I-I didn't do anything." Drakken insisted hurriedly.

"Well turn that stupid thing off." Shego ordered.

"But it's not on!"

The vortex continued to expand slowly, blowing outwards in all directions, until a single lone figure dropped down from within its eye. The figure landed hard on the ground with a rather painful sounding thud. Even as the figure groaned in pain, Shego and Drakken could see the vortex quickly shrink in size, collapsing upon itself almost as immediately as it had formed.

Shego and Drakken focused their sights on the figure lying on the floor as it slowly rose to its feet.

"Oh my…" Shego stuttered.

"..Stoppable?" Drakken finished.

Shego and Drakken did indeed recognize the face of Ron Stoppable on the figure, but that was the only familiar feature that he possessed. His hair was short, buzz cut, his ears pierced with small skull figurines dangling from the lobes. His form was much larger, his entire body rippled with muscular sinew as opposed to his usually flabby physique. Instead of his loose fitting mission clothes, he wore a tight fitting black shirt and pants. A strange unrecognizable device fit around his right wrist, with his hands covered in black, biker gloves revealing just the top of his fingers.

For a moment, the new Ron paused with curiosity, taking in his surroundings before finally bringing his glare upon the villainous pair, as if their very presence explained everything.

"So, you two. Dr. Andrew Lipsky. I love the new hair." Ron spoke with a dark, smooth, almost cloying voice.

"Really?" Drakken seemed pleased at the compliment. "Well, you know how busy I get. I really only had time to run a comb through… wait a minute. Since when do you use my real name?" Drakken's voice betrayed his confusion.

"And Shego." Ron's eyes moved up her slender figure from bottom to top, scanning her with desire. "So, you finally decided to loose the 'pretty-in-pink' look. I approve." Ron replied mockingly, licking his lips as if eyeing a tender roast.

"Pink?" Shego practically spit out the single word question, struggling down the urge to vomit at Ron's visual intrusion. "So tell me loser, when did you go Goth?"

Shego's question seemed to noticeably catch Ron off guard, causing him to take second, deeper look at his surroundings.

"Wait a minute… where am I?" Ron demanded.

"You're in the path of the bull, and you're wearing red, dead man." Shego leapt forward with glowing fists, determined to take Ron's head off. However, as she came down for the strike, Ron ducked the attack casually.

Furious, Shego kicked out, but Ron merely back flipped away. Shego ran forward, pressing her attack with a swift combination of punches and kicks, each of which Ron deflected with his own limbs before leaping over Shego with amazing strength and power, landing straight in the middle of her and Drakken.

"I won't ask nicely again. Tell me where I am." Ron glared at Shego with a look that could kill, if gazes could truly do so.

"You're at your own funeral. I'll send the princess your best." Shego ignored the question, charging forward again.

Focusing intently on her, Ron dodged the next of Shego's attack, then reaching down and activating a control on the device covering his wrist, Ron brought the device up, allowing it to eject a purple mist directly into Shego's face.

The green and black clad super villain was taken aback, throwing her arms over her face, too little, too late to stop the pain flowing through her.

Shego stumbled backwards in agony, her lungs emitting inhuman screams of pain. So disabled was she, she was powerless to defend herself as Ron grabbed her throat, choking her as he pulled her forward in front of Drakken.

"She's only got thirty seconds so you might want to listen up. Right now, the chemical spray I shot her with is dissolving her optic nerve. If I don't reverse it soon, it's going to be irreparable. After that, there's nothing that will stop her eyes from melting right out of their sockets." Ron hissed at Drakken.

"Alright, alright. Reverse it. I'll tell you what you want to know." Drakken threw up his hands in surrender.

Smiling briefly, Ron paused for a moment longer as Shego continued to scream, his smile growing wider, savoring the second. Ron then pressed down on the wrist device, allowing it to emit a blue spray into Shego's face.

Almost immediately, Shego's screams began to subside, her roars of agony melting into mere groans. At this, Ron threw her to the ground, before walking straight up to Drakken.

"Now then, I want some answers."


	3. Return

"Super hero?" Ron exclaimed with rage. "Do I look like a super hero to you?"

Dr. Drakken dangled helplessly in the air, his arms bound above his head, over a pool of his own private army of mutated sharks that swam in circles beneath him, their ravenous appetite readily apparent as they bit up into the air at their dangling meal.

"Not especially." Drakken admitted sheepishly.

"A super hero." Ron began muttering to himself incredulously. "Me? Who the hell snatched that mystic monkey power from right under Lord Montgomery Fiske's nose? Me. Who seduced the head student of the Yamanouchi School into getting himself admitted as a student, only to turn around later and kill half the students, and their Sensei, with their own stupid holy weapon? Me. Who…"

Ron was distracted from his private ranting by a familiar sound coming from the corner of the room. He didn't need to turn around to know it was Shego, still struggling to burn off her custom manacles that completely covered her entire hands, locking them together while simultaneously dampening her powers.

"Listen toots," Ron began. "I was only able to coble those shackles together on short notice, so if you keep that up, you will probably burn through them in about twenty four hours." Ron then turned over to face Shego, seething rage consuming his entire face "but if you don't cut that out, I'll shove those glowing hands of yours down your own throat in less than a second, so give it a rest!"

At this, Shego's hands went dim, their glow fading.

Ron took a deep breath before beginning again where he had left off. "I did not throw one of my camp counselors into a lake of toxic crud just so that I could be thought of as a hero. Got it?" At this, Ron let fly with a shuriken straight at Drakken in a fit of rage. The mad scientist was just barely able to pull at his bonds, lifting himself slightly higher into the air, allowing the flying blade to pass within a half of a centimeter of his crotch area.

"Duly noted." Drakken assured in a high pitched tone.

"Look, sorry to get your underwear in a wedgie or anything, but Dr. D is telling the truth. You and Kim really do fly around the world, righting wrongs, helping the helpless and a bunch of other incredibly lame stuff. You dorks even have your own website to brag about it." Shego went on, well aware that her life was in the hands of a raving lunatic.

"She's right. I've even got it bookmarked on the computer." Drakken explained frantically.

"You have the site bookmarked?" Ron and Shego asked in stunned unison.

"What? That site has some really nice features." Drakken defended himself feebly. "Plus that naked mole rap is just so catchy."

Ron rolled his eyes in frustration before moving over to a large computer terminal in the side of the wall. As he sat down, his fingers moved naturally over the pad, searching through the various other files on the hard drive, his eyes scanning through them at an impossibly fast rate. Images and data flashed on the screen for less than an instant before changing and being replaced with yet more hard information. Shego and Drakken looked at each in confusion, each trying to determine whether or not the figure was actually just skimming through the information, or if he was indeed processing everything the screen was showing him.

Finally, he brought up the site in question. The images before him brought a look of revulsion across the young man's face, yet still he pressed on. The front page displayed the image of the red headed teen hero that both Shego and Drakken had come to know and hate, dressed in her regular mission clothes, smiling widely, and standing next to her partner/sidekick/boyfriend, their hands held tight. The website was a massive virtual monument to the duo and their accomplishments. Message boards, FAQ, reports of them in assorted papers around the world, press photos, the list went on.

The dark clothed man stared at an image of himself, or someone disturbingly similar in appearance to himself, for the longest time. Only this Ron Stoppable was very different in appearance. Loosely combed over hair and a flimsy, flabby physique fit into casual, khaki pants and a red, white outlined t-shirt.

A look of horror passed over the figure as he got up from the computer terminal, walking absent mindedly over near to where Drakken hung.

"Oh god. I'm not in some alternate dimension. I'm in hell. This is hell, and I'm in it." Ron muttered to himself as if the life had been drained from his very body.

Ron's revelation was cut short as one of Drakken's mutant sharks leapt right out of its tank, its jaws opening wide, a mash of teeth and horrific agony flying straight at Ron. However, the young man sensed the attack. Moving to the side, he dodged the attack, only to grab the shark by its rear end in mid leap, swinging it around in the air a few times before throwing it back in the tank.

Not ready to give up on its lunch, the shark quickly attempted to rise again, only to be knocked down hard by a solid foot to its nose.

"Stay down, 'skippy.' I'm in a bad mood." Ron shouted furiously.

For a moment, there was stunned silence, until Drakken interrupted a tone of confusion apparent in his voice.

"Wait a minute, 'alternate dimension?'"

"Oh for pete… Dr. D, this guy is from another dimension, just like with that stupid Dimensional Inducer thingy."

Drakken paused for a moment, digesting this information before responding. "He is?"

Both Ron and Shego rolled their eyes in despair and frustration before speaking again.

"Have you noticed the change in clothes?" Ron asked.

"Well, I just thought you were going through one of those teen phases." Drakken answered simply.

"And the fact that his history is completely different from everything we know?" Shego included.

"Well, I thought he just bumped his head when he dropped out of the air." Drakken replied nervously.

"And what about the fact that he appeared out of a weird, twirly light show in the first place?" Shego added.

"And the fact that I just knocked a shark out cold?" Ron finished.

Drakken paused for a moment in consideration.

"Ok, I have to admit, those had me stumped."

Ron rolled his eyes in frustration before walking over to a control on the wall, activating the mechanism to seal the lid over the shark pit and lower Drakken down to the ground. Even as the mad scientist regained his footing, Ron leaned over the back of Shego to undo her shackles.

"Ok look, this is how I see it. I need to get out of here, before I lose my mind. You help me get what I need to get home, I'll let you live. Heck, I'll even kill someone for you, I don't care." Ron finished rather apathetically as he went over to cut the ropes binding Drakken's arms together.

"You'll help me destroy Kim Possible?" Drakken's eyes lit up at this offer.

Ron turned for a moment to Drakken's large computer screen where the image of his 'twin' and his partner remained frozen in cruel mockery.

"Yeah. We'll call it even." Ron glared at the screen with horrific intent.

-----------------------------------------------------

"So anyway, there we are, and the dragon is blocking our only way out of the castle. So the party all gets together to attack, and I decide to cast 'Wall of Force'…." The figure on the other end of the table had been recounting his role playing adventures now for exactly thirty eight minutes and fifty two seconds. Kim had been keeping track.

It had been two days since Ron's postcard, and there had been no further news or additional postcards whatsoever. Kim had started to despair so much that she had finally given in to Monique's pressure to resume dating, at least casually.

Unfortunately, Felix hadn't been available. Instead, Kim had been set up with a kind of friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend for the date, even if it was just a lunch date. His name was Ian, and he had seemed nice enough at first. Tall, somewhat thin, blond hair that reminded her of Ron, and he'd even been well mannered. She'd actually considered this to have not been such a bad idea after all, at first.

He'd taken her to a bar restaurant near by, not very romantic, but it was passable, and in truth, Kim preferred it that way. Just because she was getting out again into the world didn't mean she was going to start looking for a real relationship.

The food was decent and they had even had a nice band playing that afternoon.

Then Kim made the mistake of asking what he liked to do in his spare time.

It turned out that Ian was an extremely avid fan of role playing games. He'd spent the entire time since then going on and on about his various 'adventures', the conventions he'd been too, and all the 'famous' writers he'd met.

It was official. She would never speak to either Felix or Monique ever again. Ever. If the fate of the world or the success of a mission ever depended on her directly interacting with either of them, she was just going to have to accept the end of the world.

Thankfully, Kim's living nightmare was interrupted by a familiar chime within her purse. A floodgate of relief opened within Kim as she reached in for the device, silencing her 'date' with a lone finger as she activated the device.

"Hey Wade, what's the sitch?" Kim tried not to sound too relieved as she spoke, with only moderate success.

"Hey Kim. Listen we've got a hit… wait, are you out? Is this a bad time?" Wade asked almost guiltily.

"NO! No, everything's fine. You were saying." Kim trapped Wade with her facial expressions.

"Uhmm, yeah, we got a hit on the site. There's a hijacking going on. A government train running through the area."

"Got my ride?" Kim asked enthusiastically.

"All set. You'll be out there in ten minutes."

"Please and thank you." Kim turned off the image on the Kimmunicator, returning it to its resting place in her purse before throwing a few dollars on the table. "Listen Ian, thanks… for taking me out, but I got to run." Kim didn't wait for a response as she hurried out the door.

"Wait, I didn't tell you how we got past the two Orks!"

-----------------------------------------------------

Kim hunched over the Kimmunicator as her ride flew at less than five hundred feet over the train lines through Middleton.

"So Wade, what's the deal with this train?"

"Well, technically, it doesn't exist. It runs special equipment for government laboratories. A lot of highly classified stuff that doesn't appear on paper anywhere."

"Security?"

"More than just boy scouts, I can tell you that. There's between fifty and a hundred soldiers on this train at any time. Whoever is pulling this little stunt off is good."

"Any leads?"

"Nope. They're sneaky too. Distress call was cut off in a hurry. Train didn't make its usual stop so they figured something was wrong. I don't know if you want to go in blind like this Kim."

"I'll be fine. See what else you can find out. Later Wade." Kim hung up on the technical genius, leaving her to time her jump just properly. Out of a plane and onto the back of a speeding train. Kim had done this before, but that didn't mean that this required any less concentration.

Kim called out to the pilot, thanking him for the ride, for which he assured her it was the least he could do after she helped coach his daughter for that musical competition.

"It was no big, Mr. Clarkson."

-----------------------------------------------------

Kim set her chute down as she made it atop the rear car of the train, releasing it to be carried off by the wind. Acting quickly in case someone had seen her drop in, Kim leapt down between the two cars, before entering via the door at the end of the second rear car.

Kim entered into a large container filled with unlabeled boxes, nearly tripping over two unconscious figures in military garb as she did. A quick check of their pulses confirmed they were alive but out cold.

Kim moved as lightly as a feather as she proceeded through the car, passing at least a dozen more unconscious soldiers as she walked. The air inside was stuffy and musty, but she pushed this aside, focusing instead on the sounds of boards being pried up ahead. As Kim continued to move quietly, she managed to make out a familiar outline in green and black forcing open a wooden container with a crowbar.

As Shego struggled with the box, she was completely oblivious to Kim sneaking up behind her. However, Kim herself was so focused on Shego that she failed to see a super thin noose quickly lowering down in front of her.

The noose tightened immediately, catching around Kim's neck, causing the teen hero to reach at her throat in a desperate attempt to pull at it. Yet, before she could do so, she felt herself lifted up off the ground, gasping for air, and looking up in horror at the face of her assailant.

"R-Ron." Kim managed to gasp before going dark.

-----------------------------------------------------

Kim groaned as she slowly regained consciousness, a hoard of twisted and sick memories filling her mind.

She slowly became vaguely aware of a finger moving up and down the sides of her face, outlining it slowly, sensually. For a moment, she allowed herself to indulge in the feeling, until she opened her eyes to see who it was.

"Ron!"

Kim tried to rise up, only to find her hands and legs bound tightly. As she looked around, she could see that she was no longer in the train car. Instead, she appeared to be in an aircraft of some kind. To her side, she noticed a series of large containers she assumed to have been lifted from the train heist.

"Ron, what are you doing here? What… why are you..." Kim had too many questions, and none of them could decide which would go first.

A cruel smile crossed Ron's face as he rose up to his feet, walking over to the side of the cabin. "Well, gosh Kim. I tried the whole 'good boy' routine, but that just didn't work out. I guess no matter what I did, it just wasn't good enough for you. So I decided to grow a backbone. What do you think?"

"Ron, you're not making any sense." Kim tried to see a trace of her friend, her boyfriend, within the man standing in front of her, yet there was none. A thousand different explanations offered themselves up to Kim's confused mind. _Mind control? Under the influence of the Attitudinator again?_ Somehow, neither of these really satisfied Kim. There was a different look in his eyes, something completely out of place.

"Well then let me use small words for you, Kim. We're through. I'm dumping you." At this, Ron opened the hatch in the compartment, causing a huge gush of wind to blow out of the cabin. "Right over downtown Middleton in fact. You'll be hitting rush hour, literally."

At this, Ron picked up Kim, throwing her over her shoulders, carrying her over to the hatch, only to set her down, upright.

"Ron! Please, don't do this. Fight it. Whatever Shego did to you, fight it."

Ron just smiled a cruel smile, then grabbing the back of Kim's head, forced his mouth onto hers, his tongue invading her mouth.

Kim twisted away in revolt. Whoever this was, this was not Ron. Ron would never, could never do this. Yet this did little to comfort the violation, even drawing a tear from Kim.

Ron turned to push her out, only to pause for a minute before turning to Kim again. "Say, before you go, any ideas where they keep the Lotus Blade around here?"

"What?"

"Oh forget it. I'll find it myself."

With that, Ron casually pushed Kim straight out of the plane, sealing the door behind her.

"Echk. She's even a lousy kisser in this world." Ron commented to himself.

-----------------------------------------------------

Miles and miles of concrete and buildings rushed up to meet Kim at terrible speeds.

Determined not go down willingly, Kim struggled at her bonds, but they would not give. Her hands were tied tightly behind her, almost completely cutting off circulation.

She attempted to stretch her arms accordingly in order to active the mini-laser kept within her sleeve, only to discover it was missing. It was probably a safe bet that her other gear had been removed as well.

Kim struggled to think, but at the speed she was falling, it would be challenge enough to remain conscious. Kim struggled to keep her breath, continuing to tug at the ropes around her wrist.

She was so absorbed by this as she passed the Middleton skyline that she failed to notice a figure clad entirely in black sweeping out towards her, swinging from a strong line attached to the top of a nearby building. Kim turned about just in time to see the figure catch her firmly with one arm while the other arm held onto the line for dear life.

Kim could only watch as the figure swung through the air without fear or hesitation, finally bringing the both of them down rather roughly atop a skyscraper. Kim let out a rough cough as she tried to regain air in her lungs, bringing herself weakly and gradually up to her knees. Yet before she could say anything, the figure had already knelt down, cutting her bonds to harmless shreds of rope.

As she rubbed feeling back into her wrists, Kim looked up to the masked face of her savior.

"Whoever you are, thank…" Kim lost her breath all over again as the masked figure removed the garbs covering his face. "… you."

"Come on KP. You know it's what I do best." Ron Stoppable smiled wildly.


	4. Reunions and Introductions

Kim Possible regained consciousness yet again, her mind simply unable to take in the stimuli it had been exposed to so far today. First, Ron had tried to kill her, then he had saved her life, all after failing to show up at home as promised or even write to her for two days. Kim fully expected to wake up at home in her own bed, discovering the entire incident to be nothing more than the product of too many Nacos before bed.

She came to, instead, to see a familiar warm face looking down upon on her with almost hysterical concern.

"KP, are you ok? Can you hear me? Quick, how many freckles do I have?" Ron asked frantically.

Kim leapt up to her feet, her mind still fogged with confusion and panic, as she backed away from Ron in fear.

"G-get away from me!"

"KP, it's ok, it's me. Ron. The Ron-man. You know, sidekick extraordinaire, inventor of the Naco, teen heart throb to…" Ron did a quick tally with his fingers "… one."

"You're not you!" Kim was almost in hysterics.

"I'm not?" Ron asked.

"You're under some kind of Shego mind control." Kim accused.

"I am?"

"Or you've gone completely insane."

"I have?" Ron paused for a moment, before responding. "You know I gotta say, this is not quite the home coming I was expecting."

"You… you're gone for months, and then you say you're coming back, and I don't get another card or anything, then you nearly strangle me and throw me out of a plane and…" Kim's words were traveling at a mile a minute. At this rate, she was sure to pass out all over again. Moving swiftly but calmly up to her, Ron placed one hand on her arm to catch her, while his other hand moved up to caress her face, silencing her in an attempt to slow her breathing.

"KP, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, but it's me. I'm me. I'm not under any mind control, I most definitely was not any plane just now, and I have missed you so much." Ron's voice was calm, soothing, gentle, and hinted at just as much pain as Kim had been in this last week. Ron's touch drew a fresh tear down the side of Kim's cheek.

"God Ron, I don't even know what's going on anymore. I feel like I'm loosing my mind; I don't know what to say, I don't even know what to think."

For a brief moment, there was silence, neither knowing what to say or how to verify themselves to each other.

In the end, a rather simple solution presented itself.

Ron pulled Kim close, their lips meeting in an entire summer of desire and longing, the entire world fading around them, being replaced only by the all encompassing sensation of each other. In an instant, all doubt was shattered. This was him. This was her Ron. Whoever that imposter was, she would kick his butt later and savor every minute of it. But for right now, she had more pressing concerns.

Kim's arms moved of their own accord around the back of Ron's neck even as his own arms moved around her waist. Kim's knees went weak at his delicate touch, her muscles melting at the very scent of him. Yet she would not move away, she would not release hold of him, not for the world. Fortunately, she didn't have to, as she felt his arm move down and lift her legs up while his other hand supported her upper back, holding her slender figure in his caring grip, affording her to wrap her arms all the tighter around him.

Finally, the limitations of the human lung and the physical need for oxygen forced the two of them back to draw breath, yet their faces did not separate more than an inch the whole time as they continued to share a longing stare, their foreheads pressed against one another.

"Hey, handsome. Love the new hair." Kim whispered; a wide smile permanently etched into her face.

"Hey, gorgeous. Thanks." Ron replied in an equally hushed tone with an equally wide grin.

For a moment longer, the two lost themselves in the other's eyes, before finally speaking again.

"Ron, do you want to put me down now?"

"Honestly, not really." Ron smiled, leaning in once again for another kiss, loosing himself in the soft feel of her lips, the gentle brush of her hair over his face, before finally releasing her and lowering her to her feet.

Kim took a step back to take a look at him in his new garb. "I guess a summer in Japan really does the Ron wonders, huh?" Kim admired his new appearance, overwhelmed at how much he had changed. He still bore the same goofy smile over his face, and she even counted the same number of freckles on the sides of his face, but so much else seemed new. His hair was much longer now, combed back, though it blew freely in the wind. Ron also looked like he added quite a few pounds, and not an ounce of it was fat. His somewhat doughy physique seemed to have completely evaporated, replaced by a hard line body that seemed more befitting of a professional athlete. Legs, arms, chest, all now much more solid and defined than before. Kim tried to hide her blush. She found herself freely admitting that she could definitely get used to the new look.

"Oh you know how it is, KP. A few sit ups before breakfast, lunch and dinner, a couple dozen back flips before bed and shattering wooden planks with your arms every day in between classes, and before you know it…" Ron left his sentence unfinished, modeling his own physique to complete his thought.

"Hmm. I'll have to give it a try sometime." Kim mused.

"You kiddin? You're already way spankin as it is. Besides, we're talking ancient Japanese secret stuff here KP. Classified to the extreme degree. Can't just share with anyone you know." Ron beamed almost smugly, pretending to look off into the distance.

"Pwease, not even for me Ronnie." Kim's voice took on a low tone as she released the most devastating, most horrific weapon known to mankind.

"Oh no! Not the Puppy Dog Pout. No, that's not fair!" Ron protested as he covered his eyes, determined at all costs to keep them sealed till Armageddon if necessary.

"Oh come on Ron. You know you can share with me." Kim continued to pout mockingly, yet Ron would not relent.

"No. Nonononononononono. I'm not hearing this, and I am not looking. Lalalalalalalala!" Ron shouted desperately into the air, trying to block out all else but the sound of his own voice.

Kim shot him an insidious glance. She didn't care how much time he'd spent away, he would not defy the Puppy Dog Pout. Suddenly, a devious grin crossed her face.

"Hey!" Ron exclaimed suddenly as a sharp pinch bit him smack in the butt. Ron turned around to protest, only to find himself smack in the path of the most crushing Pout ever.

He never had a chance.

"Ok, ok. I'll give you a spare lesson sometime." Ron relented, truly defeated.

"Yay! Thank you, Ron." Kim replied sweetly, giving him a light peck on the cheeks.

"One of these days, I'm going to figure out a way past that." Ron swore.

"Not in your lifetime, Stoppable." Kim replied confidently. "Now come on, let's get off this roof. There's someone at home who's been almost as anxious as me to see you again."

-----------------------------------------------------

"Ronald! Come in, please. We didn't know you were home already." Mrs. Possible exclaimed excitedly as she opened her front door to the young man waiting outside.

"Oh gee, thank you Mrs. Possible." The figure responded somewhat weakly as he entered the Possible residence, struggling to conceal his awe at its splendor.

"Oh Ronald, I know you've been gone for a while, but that's no reason to be so formal."

The young man could feel the elder Possible's gaze upon him, judging him, evaluating him. "Uh, sorry…. Mrs. P?"

"That's better." Ron let out a brief sigh as she turned away. "So tell me, when did you get back to town? Kimmie is going to be so excited to see you again; she hasn't been the same since you left. I'm so sorry she couldn't be here personally to welcome you back."

"Well, don't worry Mrs. P; I'm sure she'll be dropping in sooner or later, somewhere or other. In the meantime, do you mind if I just wait up in her room?" Ron asked, desperate to end this conversation before he blew his cover.

"Of course. But be careful, I think Jim and Tim are rewiring their old toy trucks, so watch your step."

Ron shot Mrs. Possible a questioning look, but then decided not to press the issue. Instead, he headed unsteadily up the stairs, still so overwhelmed by the wholesomeness of the Possible house. "Guess her old man actually found someone willing to pay for his science in this world."

Ron eventually came to the door leading up to Kim's loft. Though he had never been in this house, he eventually decided on the door with the autographed O Boys poster on the front as being a safe bet. The door opened back to reveal a room filled with teenage paraphernalia, assorted trophies, pictures, and the like.

He quickly began his search, tearing through cabinets, shelves, drawers, her closet. Clothes were thrown into the air with reckless abandon, picture frames were turned upside down, her bed sheets were tossed to the floor, all as Ron continued his search, looking for something he wouldn't recognize until he found it.

As Ron tore through the room, the clutter and noise caused the stirring of a certain naked mole rat, slumbering peacefully on Kim's night stand. Rufus groggily rose, whipping the sleep from his eyes, before finally looking at the cause of the commotion.

"RON!" Rufus exclaimed with delight, leaping from his resting place, right on top of Ron's shoulder, throwing his arms as far around his neck as they would go.

"Eww, gross. Scram you little rodent." Ron replied, casually slapping the pink figure from his shoulder to the floor.

Rufus hit the floor with only a light thud, immediately scampering up to Ron with a hurt look on his face as he tugged at his pant leg. As he did, Rufus sniffed the young man's clothing.

"Hey! Fake." Rufus announced, shaking his tiny paw and shouting obscenities in an indecipherable tongue at the figure before him.

"Oh for god's sake." At this, Ron kicked out with his foot, knocking the mole rat clear across the room, straight into the wall, leaving him to slide slowly down to the floor, unconscious.

Ron walked over, picking the helpless creature up by the tail.

"Dear lord, now I remember why I flushed this stupid rat down the toilet when I was six in the first place." Suddenly, a cruel smile crossed Ron's face as he moved across the room with his helpless hostage dangling by the tail. "You know, if my 'twin' ever does get home, he'll probably thank me for this."

However, Ron was stopped dead in his tracks, even dropping his dangling prisoner to the floor, as his ears tracked the sound of knocking coming all the way from the front door of the house.

-----------------------------------------------------

"Kimmie, you're back. You're never going to believe who just got home." Mrs. Possible exclaimed with the look of pride that can only be found on the face of a parent who knows something that their child does not.

"Mom, you're never going to guess what happened to me today." Kim began speaking almost the same time as her mother did.

"Ron's home!" The two announced to each other in unison. "Wait, he is?" They asked.

"Uhh, mom. Are you saying Ron is here right now?" Kim asked, a concern growing more apparent in her voice.

"Of course he is. He's upstairs in your room." Mrs. Possible stated, becoming more and more confused by her daughter's reaction. "Why do you have that look on your face?"

"Because Ron is right here next to me." Kim motioned to her side, where sure enough, Ron Stoppable had been waiting patiently.

"Hey, Mrs. Dr. P." Ron waved, a wide smile on his face.

"Ronald!" Mrs. Possible's voice took on the tone of someone who had just seen a ghost. "I-I thought you had decided to cut your hair really short."

Both Kim and Ron looked at each in worry, then up the stairs, just in time to see the other Ron Stoppable descending them with the look of a burglar caught in the act.

"Aww hell." The short-cut Ron exclaimed. Moving quickly, he grabbed a family portrait hanging off the wall to his side and hurled it at the threesome.

Kim and Ron acted quickly, grabbing Mrs. Possible by the shoulders and ducking her out of the way of the flying projectile as it went straight over their heads, right out the door, to smash harmlessly on the sidewalk outside.

"Honey, did something just break out here?" Mr. Dr. Possible had just come out into the family room to investigate the crashing sound of the portrait only to find himself faced with a visual puzzle.

Two Ron Stoppables, one to his right, over by the doorway, crouched over alongside his daughter and wife, his hair much longer, dressed in his usual clothes, and the other to his left, standing atop the stairs, his hair much shorter, dressed in black pants and a tight shirt.

"Dad, look out!" Kim's warning came too little, too late, as the Ron from atop the stairs leapt over the railing, moving up to and behind the elder Possible of the house, his left hand quickly grabbing the rocket scientist's arm and twisting it behind his back while the other hand grabbed the father's neck, chocking it hard, eliciting a gasping sound from him.

"You know, I don't care how many times I manage to get my hands around your dad's neck, it always feels just as satisfying as the first time I did it." The buzz cut Ron announced as Kim and the other Ron moved to block his path out.

"Wow, I really am a bad boy." The long haired Ron exclaimed at the sight of his twin.

"Oh god, I really am a loser." The other Ron sighed at the sight of his.

"Let him go." Kim commanded firmly to the shorted haired Ron. "This is between you and me."

"Oh, it was never just between you and me, Kimmie-cub. Daddy dearest here always managed to get himself in the way, didn't you." Ron asked his helpless hostage with a snarl on his face, before turning back to Kim. "Come on, you must be a smart girl, do the math here. Can you get to me before I snap his neck? Are you really that fast in this world?"

"I am." Ron answered firmly and confidently.

For once, all eyes on the room turned to the long haired Ron to see him focusing intently on his twin and his hostage.

"Ronald…" Mr. Possible managed to gasp.

"I can stop you before you hurt him. I can disable you and free him in exactly one move. And your odds don't look so good from there." Ron's gaze locked permanently with his double.

"Ron, are you sure?" Kim asked uneasily, her gaze still focusing on her father and the intruder in her home.

"Trust me KP. I can do this."

For a moment, there was tense silence, the new Ron unsure as to his next move.

Then, a tiny roar shattered the room. Buck teeth and pink furry dove screaming through the air, landing on the short haired Ron's shoulder, the teeth digging in with fearsome power and rage.

As the short haired Ron screamed out in pain, the original took his moment to act. In a swift motion, too quick to follow, Ron drew a shuriken from his pocket and let it fly. The oriental weapon moved cleanly through the air before digging straight into the hand drawn tight around Mr. Possible's neck.

The other Ron screamed again in dual pain, his grip failing as the rocket scientist once again tasted unrestricted air.

Kim and Ron moved together in perfect unison, Kim moving to tackle her father out of the way, as Ron dove straight for his double.

"Hi daddy. Uhmm, Ron's home." Kim explained meekly as her father struggled to regain his breath.

"So I noticed." The father Possible rubbed his neck painfully, allowing Kim to look up.

The two Rons were a fury of martial arts as they battled within the Possible family living room. Attack, deflect, counter attack, block, back and forth, one and then the other. Kim mused that this must have been what it was like to watch her and Shego do battle.

Glass shattered, a side tabled splintered, and still the two battled on. Finally, a break arose in the fight. The short haired Ronald kicked out at his double, only to have his foot caught squarely by his 'twin's' hands. Lifting up and out with his strength, the original Ron swung his double around and around before letting go, sending him flying straight through the living room window and out onto the front lawn, carrying shards of glass with him.

"Whoops." Ron let out as he realized what he had just done.

"Come on Ron, we can't let him get away." Kim rushed up to the window, but saw nothing more than shattered glass on the front lawn. There was no sign of the other Ron. He was gone.

Ron was not surprised. He recognized his twin's fighting technique. There was only one place, on this Earth anyway, that taught that fighting style and if his double was even half the master his fighting prowess suggested, they wouldn't find him for the rest of the night, unless he wanted to be found.

There was another minute of awkward silence as the two parents looked around at the shattered remains of their living room.

"So Ronald." Mr. Possible's voice was still a little scratchy, but it immediately brought Ron to attention, carrying all of its formal force. "You know how I feel about rough-housing within the house."

"Uhh, yes sir. Sorry sir." Ron apologized weakly, hoping and praying he wasn't about to get in trouble again so soon after coming home.

"However, since you are going to help clean up this mess, I suppose we can over look it this one time."

"I am? Uhh, I mean, I am. Yes sir." Ron affirmed as realization slowly dawned on him.

"And since you are going to be helping out, I suppose you'll have to stay for dinner too." A wry smile drew across Dr. Possible's face as he called upstairs. "Jim. Tim. Come set the table, and be sure to set an extra place, Ronald will be joining us tonight."

A look of confusion crossed Ron's face as he turned to Kim.

"What just happened?"

However, before Kim could answer, a familiar chattering could be heard coming from near Ron's foot.

"Rufus!"

Ron picked up the naked mole rat, drawing him close to his cheek as the two shared a deep, closed eyed smile.

"Welcome home, Ron." Kim's voice was warm and soft as she leaned in to share in this tender moment.

"We're coming, we're coming, we're… whoa. Look at this mess." Jim exclaimed from atop the stairs.

"We didn't do it!" Tim insisted.

-----------------------------------------------------

"Dude, do you have any idea what you're doing with that thing?" Brick Flag asked as his buddy stood over the smoking form of their car's engine.

"No clue." The other admitted, as he stepped back, using his hand to try and wave the smoke out of his face.

"Perhaps I might be of some assistance, gentlemen." A voice came from behind. Both Brick and his friend turned around in time to see a tall, brown haired man in a lab coat walking up to their car.

"Uhh, yeah sure. Thanks dude."

"Not at all." The man assured them. The two just looked at each other in confusion, then back over to the figure as he examined the engine block before him. "Hmm, yes, no problems. I think I can get you boys up and running again in no time."

"Really, ha that'd be awesome." Brick exclaimed.

"Indeed. By the way, could I trouble you boys for a ride into town? I'm afraid I'm rather without transportation myself." The man explained politely.

"Oh, sure thing. No problem, Mr.…?"

"Doctor, actually. Dr. Andrew Lipsky. And could you tell me where I might find some heroes around here?"


	5. Late Night Snack

"Kids, are you almost finished in there?" Mrs. Possible called out from within the kitchen.

"Just finishing up now, Mom." Kim called out as she and her brother Jim swept up the last of the broken glass, dropping it down into the trash can.

"Could've finished ten minutes ago if Ron and Kim would have stopped staring at each other's butts." Tim grumbled bitterly.

Kim and Ron shot each other twin looks of embarrassment, before Kim turned to throw her dustpan straight at her brothers.

"Tweebs!"

The young twins dodged their sister's attack, only to turn and flee upstairs, chanting yet another rendition of "Kim and Ron sitting in a tree".

"Good to see some things never change." Ron let out a relaxed sigh as he plopped down onto the large sofa in front of the TV, stretching himself out comfortably. All things considered, he had had a fairly full day.

"Oh sure you would say that. You spend all summer in Japan, and come back for less than a day and think that they're just adorable in their own way. I get to live with the little freaks." Kim sat down across from Ron, removing her shoes and letting out a wide yawn. She'd had quite an eventful day herself.

"Kids, we're going upstairs. If you end up watching TV, keep the volume down." Mrs. Possible called out.

"Sure thing mom."

"No problem Mrs. P."

The two looked at each other with a tightly restrained look of glee. All that was needed now was patience.

"So, Ron, spill. Japan. Everything. Now."

The footsteps of Kim's parents could be heard all the way upstairs.

"Oh you know KP. Ancient kung fu secrets, centuries old architecture, neon signs and spiky haired cartoon characters as far as the eye could see and not a Bueno Nacho in sight. Nice place, but I wouldn't move there."

The bedroom door of the Possible parent's room could be heard closing. Thirty seconds to go.

"Oh, that reminds me. Bueno Nacho finally unveiled that Taco thingy of yours."

"The Super Taco Split! How was it? Did you try one?"

"Uhmm, yeah. Monique and I ordered one the other day at its launch."

Fifteen seconds.

"Oh man, how was it? Tell me it was mouth-watering-on-sight. I was going for mouth-watering-on-sight."

"You'd have to ask Rufus, he did a nose dive straight into the thing before Mon and I could touch it." Kim indicated over to the slumbering Mole Rat, snoring deeply over on the dinner table.

Five seconds.

"Oh by the way, Sensei sends his best. He said it would be his honor if we stopped back for a visit sometime. Free pass to a super secret ninja's club with a centuries old "Members Only" policy. You can't beat that, KP."

Time up.

Kim practically leapt across the couch, straight into Ron's waiting arms. The two locked lips instantly, their mouths receiving one another readily. An entire summer of pent up desire exploded right on the Possible family couch as Kim and Ron pulled themselves as close to each other as physically possible. Even as their kissing continued, Kim's hands went underneath Ron's shirt and up his backside, her fingers feeling up the tight muscles of his back with unrestrained desire. Ron's hands did some exploring of their own, one staying over the backside of Kim's head, pushing the two of them even closer together, despite the physical impossibility of this, while his other hand moved down her slender backside, feeling up her soft skin.

"This'll make a great documentary." Jim's voice came from the side.

"Cooties, the deadly killer. You think mom and dad will like it?" Tim exclaimed with sinister glee.

Kim and Ron looked up to see the tweebs holding the family video camera, the lens turned upon the two with deadly implications.

"TWEEBS!" Kim shot off the couch and straight after her brothers as they ran up the stairs screaming, leaving Ron to lie back on the couch.

"Ahh, this is the life." Ron whispered to himself with a wide grin. For an instant, Ron could feel his body temperature returning to normal levels, when a knock from the front door caught his attention.

"Kim, door. KP?" Ron called out, but when no one answered, Ron let out a disgruntled grumble as he lifted himself up from the couch, moving across the house towards the front door.

As he opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of a seemingly familiar looking man standing outside in a white lab coat with formal brown pants and neatly combed hair. Ron knew he had seen this man somewhere before but couldn't quite place the face.

The man on the other side of the door seemed visually shaken by Ron somehow, but seemed to suppress it beneath a veneer of civility.

"Good evening. Do I take it to be upon the Possible residence?" The figure asked.

Ron wore a blank look on his face.

"Is this where Kim Possible lives?" The figure amended his question upon noting the reaction in Ron's face.

"Oh. Yeah, sure. Hey KP, you got a visitor." Ron called up the stairs. He looked up to see Kim running towards the door, only to look at the scientist again closely.

"Coming Ron, who is… you!" Kim exclaimed. The face was not its usual color, his hair had changed, and he was even missing his scar but Kim instantly recognized the face of Doctor Drakken.

"Good lord." The man at the front door whispered in a mixture of awe and terror. "You look so much like her."

Kim had had enough unwanted visitors in her home for one night; she had no intention of letting one more through the front door. Grabbing the man by his jacket, Kim slammed him forcefully against the side of the front door.

"Drakken!" Kim exclaimed.

"Drakken?" Ron paused for a minute, before recognizing the resemblance. "Ahh, Drakken! Kim, Drakken's here."

"Yes, Ron. I got it." Kim turned back to the white coated man. "What are you doing here Drakken? You must know something about that other Ron, its too big a coincidence to see you so soon after he showed up."

"First, my name Dr. Andrew Lipsky." The doctor corrected even over the rough of his own collar being forced up. "And second, that young man is precisely the reason I wanted to talk to you, if you'll permit me."

Kim gave the man a sharp look. "Listen, if this is one of your tricks, Drew…"

"Andrew Lipsky." The man corrected again. "And I assure you, I mean you no deception. I'm here to help."

A large part of Kim didn't want to take the chance. That part of Kim would have been happy to tie him to a chair and let the tweebs have him until he was willing to talk. But just as with the other Ron, there was something in this man's eyes that she had never seen in the eyes of the original, something that told her there was more going on then she knew.

Kim's grip on the man's coat relented as she backed away slowly, affording him the chance to straighten himself out.

"Ok, 'Andrew.' Spill." Kim crossed her arms.

"Uhmm, actually, might I trouble you for a bit to eat as we talk. I did cross an entire dimensional threshold just to reach you, and I'm feeling rather famished." Dr. Lipsky asked rather embarrassed.

"Its ten thirty at night, and someone just cleaned out our entire fridge full of leftovers." Kim replied, looking over to a certain blond haired young man over to her side.

"Hey, I've been living on fish and rice for over three months solid. I'm excused." Ron replied defensively.

"Oh dear. I don't suppose there's some establishment nearby that's still open where we might grab a bite." Lipsky inquired.

"Hey, I know." Ron exclaimed.

-----------------------------------------------------

Kim and Andrew looked at each other with a mixture of revolt and wonder at the sight before them.

"Well now, you're young man certainly has a healthy appetite." Andrew offered.

"I'm not sure that can be considered 'healthy.'" Kim replied.

The sight to which the two were referring was that of a young man and his naked mole rat as they proceeded to messily devour a massive supply of Mexican delights. Ron had practically ordered half of the entire menu and more than two of everything ordered. Fortunately, the Bueno Nacho establishment was virtually empty, save for the staff and the threesome, and so the staff didn't have any other orders to fill. When it was all done, the order was enough to feed a small platoon, or a Naco deprived super hero and his pet.

"You know, I could swear I saw you polish off half a steak for dinner." Kim recalled to Ron.

"Maybe you saw the steak as being half there, but my stomach saw it as half gone." Ron pulled himself up from his feasting, a splash of Nacho cheese spilling down the side of his chin before his face returned to its gorging.

Kim looked a second longer in disbelief at the Mexican massacre before her, before turning over to their guest. "So, you mentioned something about a dimensional…"

"Dimensional threshold. Yes, I'm afraid its how both I, and the unpleasant young man you described earlier came to your world." Andrew finished whipping off the last remnants of his Super Taco Split from his mouth, which he had actually found to be quite delectable, before continuing. "You see, I come from another dimension, a world where the greatest threat that the world has ever known…" Andrew paused in preparation of the reaction his next words would undoubtedly elicit "…is the both of you."

Kim and Ron looked up, wide eyed at each other in disbelief before turning back to Andrew as he continued.

"On my world, there's law, but it's all either corrupt and paid for at worst, or too afraid and terrified at best. Global Terror has managed to infiltrate just about every level of every government to one degree or another, and it's all been through the direct intervention of Team Possible. You."

"Us?" Kim asked in shock.

"You know I think I saw this episode. Wait a minute, something's not right. If that was my evil 'me', where was my goatee? Evil alternate clones have to have a goatee, it's a rule." Ron declared matter-of-factly.

"It all began when you, or rather, they, went on their first mission when they were fifteen. After that, bad became worse, and worse and worse as time went on. The two of you… them I mean" Andrew amended with an apologetic look on his face. "… went around the world, unleashing all manner of punishments and calamities on anyone who wouldn't do what was demanded of them. Heroes eventually rose up to challenge them, including my humble self and my wife, but no one has ever been able to stop them."

Kim and Ron looked at each other, paralyzed by silence, unsure of what to say or how to react to a situation.

"So, how did the other Ron get to our world?" Kim finally asked.

"It started several months ago, when my Ron and Kim stole a device known as the Pan-Dimensional…"

"Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer." Kim finished with a sigh.

"Ah, so there's one in this world too?" Drakken inquired.

"Oh yeah." Kim rolled her eyes as unpleasant memories flashed before her.

"Well, then it probably performed the same function here that it did in my world, which was to literally beam people right into their own television set. Obviously, once they figured out what it was capable of, team Possible tried to have the thing destroyed, and rightfully so, I admit. I mean, can you imagine anyone reckless enough to experiment with such a device?" Andrew asked.

Kim and Ron shot each other wide eyed looks, both agreeing not to say anything as Dr. Lipsky went on.

"But before they could completely destroy it, my wife and I managed to steal it. You see, I realized that the device had the potential to send people to alternate realities, provided the proper modifications were made."

"That's why you came here, wasn't it? You wanted to find us." Kim concluded.

"Yes. You see, according to Quantum theory, there are a limitless number of universes, some very similar to each other, and others dramatically different. Supposedly, each universe is created every time a choice is made. Whenever a choice is made, an alternate world exists where a different choice was made for that particular instant, like forks in the road." Dr. Lipsky explained.

Kim looked over to Ron, whose face was totally blank.

"Lots of different worlds with lots of things different about them." Kim simplified.

"Ok, see now that I can follow." Ron admitted.

"I knew there had to be a world where the insidious team Possible hadn't become such a threat to mankind, where they might even be heroes, heroes who could help my world." Dr. Lipsky seemed to be looking directly at the young pair almost pleadingly.

"Wait, so if you had the Pans-Inducer thingy, then how did the other me get here first instead of you?" Ron asked.

"Uhmm, I'm afraid that was my fault. My first attempt, I tried to bring you directly into my world. Just one of you, in case I had picked the wrong world…" Dr. Lipsky's face began to blush as he admitted sheepishly "but I think I crossed my wiring."

"So instead of bringing this Ron to your world, you sent your Ron to our world." Kim concluded.

"I swear, I had no idea, and when we found out, we tried everything we could to undo the situation. Unfortunately, the other Kim and Global Terror burst in before we could try to bring him back. My wife…" Andrew began to stutter, a slight tear forming in his eye before he began again "My wife went to hold them off while I came through here to try and find you."

A hush silence fell over the trio, Dr. Lipsky looking absently down on the table as Kim and Ron looked at each other with somber faces.

"We need to find the Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer. If nothing else, we'll eventually need it to send you home. Plus, I have a feel that wherever it is, the other Ron will be." Kim finally spoke, hoping to bring renewed spirit to the table.

"Great idea KP. How?" Ron asked.

"I might have an idea about that. I knew I'd need to find a way back home eventually." Dr. Lipsky spoke up.

-----------------------------------------------------

Shego wheeled the last tray of equipment into the laboratory where their 'guest' worked, rather loudly in fact. Ever since returning from his private little side trip, he'd been in a furious rage, screaming and cursing with a mouth even Shego wouldn't kiss.

There was so much about this Ron that gave her the creeps. With the exception of the physical similarities, there was almost nothing that he had in common with the buffoon she knew. Attitude, behavior… it seemed almost impossible that this monster could have anything in common with that dork.

"Stupid, freckle faced dork. When I get my hands on him again, I'll serve up his little rodent and feed it to him through a straw." Ron swore loudly as he continued his work, an assortment of strange tools lay scattered about the room.

"Brought the rest of your stuff." Shego announced.

"And his girlfriend. Oooh, just give me five minutes in a locked room with her. I'll show her what a real man is like." Ron walked over to the tray, picking up one of the devices, not even bothering to acknowledge Shego as he returned to work.

"What's eating you?" Shego asked, happy to see him miserable for a change.

"I'll tell you what's eating me. My goody two shoes 'bro' throwing me through a glass window!" Ron shouted in seething rage.

"Wait a minute, you got your butt kicked…. by the dork?" Shego asked incredulously.

"Remind me again, and they'll be your last words." Ron shot Shego a venomous glance before turning back to the device.

"Wait, wait, wait a minute. We are talking about the buffoon here?" Shego decided to press her luck, determined to show this punk that just because he was the bad boy back home, he didn't run things around here.

"Loser. Looks like me. Dating the red head. Total dweeb. Yeah, it was him." Ron replied through gritted teeth.

"So, guess you'll be running home with your thumb in your mouth. Gee, what a shame. Be sure to forget to write." Shego smiled, waving mockingly.

"Oh I'm not going anywhere." Ron answered.

"Wait, what?" Shego paused.

"I'm not going to be satisfied till I throttle that twerp with my own hands. And if I'm going to do that, I'm going to need back up." Ron continued with a sinister grin.

"Back up? Hey wait a sec; this isn't what you said…." But Shego was cut off from continuing as Ron activated the newly modified Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer via remote. All over again, a familiar blue and white vortex appeared within the room over head, flickering brightly, illuminating the room in a shimmering glow, expanding ever outward from the center.

Shego tried to cover her eyes from the bright light needles stabbing outward, but she was still able to make out a slender outline, appearing from within the bright blue eye of the vortex, being deposited in to the room. The figure landed nimbly on her feet, perched down in perfect form. Almost immediately as she landed, the vortex began to dissipate, disappearing again with itself.

"Oh no." Shego spoke with a wide eyed look of terror.

"Oh baby." A wide grin crossed Ron's visage.

The figure brushed its wavy red hair to the side to reveal the face of Kim Possible. However, like the other Ron, this one too was dressed mostly in black, clad in tight leather pants and a light leather top that was small enough to be a sports bra.

"Dr. D is not going to like this."


	6. Plans

The new Kim stood in the cluttered lab, taking in her surroundings before settling her eyes down on Ron.

"So, this is where you've been hiding?" Kim asked seductively, walking straight up to Ron, completely ignoring Shego.

"Aww, you missed me." Ron declared. "I'm touched."

Kim just smiled at him faintly for a split second, and then delivered a hard smack across his face, prompting a surprised look from Shego, and drawing a trail of blood from Ron's nose.

"You fool! Do you realize what I had to go through to try and find you? I actually had to use our favor with the Impossible Trio to find Lipsky's lair and get my hands on his stupid Dimensional Vortex Generator. Plus, I had to reactivate your spare Synthodrone, lest Lord Montgomery Fiske get any ideas. And what I had to do to finally get Shego to tell me where you and Andrew had gone…"

Kim's palm slapped out again, but Ron caught the attack square in his hands.

"And here I was worried you didn't care." Ron grinned widely even as he licked the blood from his own face. With that, Ron pulled Kim's face towards him, the two sharing in a lustful kiss that nearly turned Shego an all new sickly shade of green, even for her.

-----------------------------------------------------

"So you think you know how to track the Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer?" Kim asked as she, Ron and their new guest walked home through the quiet streets of Middleton.

"Ok, before we go on, can I ask that we come up with some kind of nickname? Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer is just too much of a mouthful; it doesn't really roll off the tongue, you know what I mean?

Kim shot Ron a half annoyed look, even though a part of her was smiling widely on the inside that he was still his usual self. He may have learned some new moves and bulked like she still couldn't believe, but inside, he would always be her Ron.

"Well, after all the modifications I made to ours in my world, I decided to rename it the Dimensional Vortex Generator." Dr. Lipsky offered.

"Hmm, yeah. I was thinking of something even shorter than that." Ron admitted.

"So, Dr. Lipsky, you said you might have an idea on how to find the … whatever we're calling it." Kim tried to refocus the conversation.

"Not exactly. I can't track the device itself, but I am the one that modified it in my world, and I know exactly what equipment my Ronald Stoppable is going to need if he wants to modify it the same way in order to get home. It's not the kind of stuff you find in your local hardware store. There can only be so many places in either world where he can look."

"So if we just keep an eye out for what he needs and be sure to be waiting when he shows up to steal it…" Kim began.

"We might be able to catch that fiend in the act, and get it out of him." Andrew finished with a bit of enthusiasm.

"Wait, wait. Hold everything. You're saying I know how to rewire a Dimensional Generator thingy? I can't even get the Kimmunicator to call Wade when I want." Ron argued.

Dr. Lipsky seemed a bit taken aback by this, as he turned to Kim.

"It's true. Last time, he nearly set off an international incident by accident." She responded with a sigh.

"Hey, you know, once you've got him on satellite uplink, Castro really does have a great sense of humor." Ron replied defensively.

"My Ron exposed himself to an experimental device called the Phoebus Project a little over a year back." Andrew explained.

"Let me guess, turned him into a super genius." Kim sighed.

"I'm afraid so. I gather he and Kim eventually got tired of extorting scientific expertise out of their Wade." Andrew explained solemnly.

"Oh sure, he's allowed, but when I need help with finals, will anyone let me near it? No, I have to stay up till six in the morning studying!" Ron exclaimed in frustration.

"Trust me, my Ron has the know-how, but he's still got to track down the right equipment."

"Wait a minute." Kim reached into her pocket to retrieve the Kimmunicator. Within a minute, she was able to call up the image of Team Possible's tech support and team genius.

"Oh sure. She just makes it look easy." Ron added to Andrew.

"Kim? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Wade asked groggily from his desk.

"Wade, listen closely. Remember that train hijacking. I need a list of everything that was stolen." Kim looked at the image on the Kimmunicator as he began to type furiously on the computer in front of him.

"So, let me get this straight. In your world, I'm super smart, a bad boy, a ninja; I'm really the man over there aren't I?" Ron asked, almost impressed by his own accomplishments in another world, in another life.

"I'm not really all that familiar with the personal details of your life." Andrew admitted. "But I gather that when you first asked Kim out, her father wasn't keen on the idea, which was actually one of the few smart ideas he ever had in his life. You nearly beat him to death the same night as your freshman homecoming."

Ron fell silent, a slight guilt working its way up his spine. The night was actually quite warm, but Ron brought his arms around themselves as a chill crawled up his skin.

Andrew Lipsky went over to Kim, his eyes following hers down the list that Wade had managed to gather. His eyes fell to the ground in defeat as he read down the list.

"It's too late. I'm too late. I failed again. He's already got everything he needs." Dr. Lipsky's voice sank with the weight of an anvil as he moved away, trying to conceal a stutter in his breathing.

The trio looked at each other with a terrifying silence, each one silently asking the same question. _So what now?_

-----------------------------------------------------

"Hmm, I knew there was a reason I kept you around." Kim moaned contentedly.

"Thought it was because you needed a meat shield to run around and attract bullets." Ron leaned back onto his pillow, placing his hands beneath his head.

"What crawled up your butt and laid eggs?" Kim asked in a disgusted tone.

"This place. Have you taken a look around?" Ron got out of bed, moving over to where he had left his clothes as he began redressing.

"Well, I'm enjoying the view so far." Kim grinned.

"This world, this place, our… 'twins'. Everyone wakes up and looks out their windows feeling safe. There's no reflexive fear, no general terror, everything is so neat and clean. Global Terror is actually an international organization known as Global Justice. Justice!" Ron practically spit out the words.

"Figures. Those losers couldn't steal candy from a baby in our world before we showed up. Of course in this world, they'd have to be even more pathetic than I ever thought possible." Kim rolled her eyes in disgusting memory.

"Everything is so bright and cheery. Do you know people actually do us favors! Favors, without even having to have them enforced! They volunteer to help Team Possible out of the goodness of their hearts, because Team Possible helped them first." Ron began pacing back and forth in just his pants, his tone becoming more and more enraged by the moment.

"God, this whole world is full of chumps." Kim was obviously not as worked up about this as Ron, but even she had to bite down the urge to gag.

"They have hope. They wake up everyday knowing that they're safe, that they don't have to worry. And whenever something comes along that's really serious, what do they do? They actually rally together. They help each other. And they have us….the other us…" Ron amended "…to save them whenever things get really out of hand."

"This didn't seem to bug you too much a few minutes ago. Not that I'm complaining. It's good to see you haven't lost your focus on priorities." Kim raised an eyebrow as she drew a finger down her slender, naked side.

"I'm not leaving. Not while it's like this. I'm not leaving till we've burned their cities to the ground. Till we've shown them how things work while we're around. Not until they've learned the folly of hope." Ron hissed his last words, a sadistic glee evident in his eyes.

For a moment Kim just rolled her eyes and shook her head, before pausing for a moment to consider.

"Well, things have been deadly quiet back home for a while now. I suppose it could be fun. A whole new world to play in." Kim rose up from the bed, making no effort to cover herself as she moved over, placing her arms seductively around Ron's neck. "Of course, if we are going to play, you know that we're going to need some toys."

"I think I got that covered. I know how much you love to 'shop' after all. But before we get to that, there's something I think you should take a look at." As Ron spoke, he reached down into his pants pocket, retrieving a disk that he proceeded to hand to Kim.

"What's this?" Kim asked, holding the simple object in her hands.

"Think of it as a way of getting to know yourself." Ron smiled his usual, sadistic grin.

-----------------------------------------------------

"There may be another way." Dr. Andrew Lipsky spoke up just as the trio reached the front of Kim's doorstep.

Kim and Ron paused to look at each other before turning to Andrew.

"The Dimensional Vortex Generator. I'll spare you the specific details, but suffice to say, it generates a very unique energy signature when activated, one that doesn't appear in nature. It would be very easy to track its source the next time it's turned on, provided we can set up the right equipment." Andrew's eyes lit up as the idea articulated itself through his own voice.

"Uhh, great idea. Just one problem guys, I traded all my dimensional generator tracking stuff years ago for some baseball cards." Ron added, trying to press a point.

"My dad! He works with NASA, and I'm sure with his and Wade's help, you can set up what you need." Kim replied.

"Your father managed to get a job with NASA?" Andrew asked, overwhelming shock evident in his face. "Will wonders never cease?" He asked rhetorically.

"Why? What was my father like in your world?" Kim asked. Even though she was starting to conclude that the more she learned about this other world, the less she would rather know, curiosity got the better of her in the end.

"Well, we worked together in college. He… had potential, a lot of potential. More than any of us, I'd say. But before he could ever truly develop that potential, he dropped out, to start selling his less than cutting edge science to the first bidder. I gather he tried marrying for money later on in life, only to end up with even more debt than before. I didn't really keep track of him until after the two of you showed up." Andrew recalled.

Kim had officially decided not to ask another question about this other world ever again.

"Listen, it's late, and I'd offer to let you crash on the couch, but I think my dad might freak, and it's way too late to start explaining all of this to him tonight." Kim explained rather awkwardly.

"No problem dude, you can stay with me." Ron offered, placing his hand on the doctor's shoulder. "I make a mean breakfast omelet, and our family couch is very comfortable. You can even ask my principle."

"Very kind of you young man. Still, we'll need to get up bright and early tomorrow. However… awkward it might be, we… I am going to need to speak with your father." Andrew reminded.

"First thing in the morning." Ron assured him. He then shot Andrew a look that the scientist quickly interpreted to mean _'now could you please turn around while I say goodnight to my girlfriend.'_

"Well, I'll just give you two a moment." Andrew politely excused himself before turning around.

As Andrew took a few steps off to the distance, the two heroes turned towards each other, Ron's hands reaching out, taking Kim's in their gentle grip.

"We never can catch a break. I don't see you for months, and now, just when you get back…" Kim began.

"… Wackiness ensues." Ron finished, eliciting a giggle from Kim.

"Yeah, wackiness." Kim leaned in, her and Ron's lips sharing in a quick goodnight kiss.

"M'lady." Ron bowed in imitation of a proper gentleman.

"Good sir." Kim replied in kind, extending her hand in proper form, allowing Ron to kiss it, before finally heading off, leaving Kim to enter her home, sighing before heading upstairs to her room.

"Hey! Who trashed my room? TWEEBS!" Kim shouted aloud.

"We didn't do it!" A pair of voices insisted in perfect unison from off in the distance of the house.


	7. Heist

**Author's Warning: **Excessive exposure to filler may rot your brain. Thus, the following chapter contains a lot of explosions and people getting beat up. You're welcome.

"Now let me see if I have this straight," Mr. Dr. Possible said, trying to make sure he had been listening correctly the entire time as Kim and Ron had explained everything to him. "This is Drew, but not the Drew I knew."

"Yes." Kim replied.

"Andrew, actually." Dr. Lipsky corrected.

"And he's from an alternate dimension where you and Ron are super villains." Dr. Possible went on.

"I believe the phrase 'super sadistic, psychotic, mal-adjusted teenagers' was used, but basically, yes." Ron added.

"And now, you want me to work with him to help find Ronald's evil double that is running around somewhere." Dr. Possible finished. The look of confusion on his face had not wavered in the slightest for the past ten minutes.

"Quite so." Andrew replied.

"Uhmm, yes." Kim answered.

"Pretty much, Dr. P." Ron supported.

"Kimmie, it's official. This has to be one of the weirdest things I have ever seen or heard." Dr. Possible added, as he sat down in fear of losing his bearings.

"Weirder than that time that Ron and I switched bodies?" Kim asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yeah." Dr. Possible responded without hesitation.

"Weirder than having a pair of cybertronic Diablos tear through the living room?" Kim went on.

"Yep." Dr. Possible did not seem to waver in his position.

"Well what about that time when all of Middleton was under attack from an army of mutant snowmen?" Kim went on.

"Absolutely." The father of the house maintained his stance against Kim's arguments.

There was an awkward silence that filled the room.

"You know, he's probably right, but I still gotta go for that time when you got turned into a monkey. Major awkweirdness there. " Ron replied after a second's consideration.

"Sir, I realize this is quite a lot to take in but time is against us. Every second we delay is another second that monster has to run around loose in your world. You don't want to know what he's capable of." Dr. Andrew Lipsky replied. The thought that he was however indirectly responsible for whatever damage his Ron might cause had kept him from sleeping all night, and had left him with the burning question of just what would his Ron be up to if not trying to return to his own world.

-----------------------------------------------------

"Team Possible. Always a pleasure to see you again, but this is rather unusual. I'd have expected you to call before just showing up at Global Justice HQ." The voice and face of Doctor Director came through clearly over a security monitor outside the warehouse. Twin security cameras focused in on Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable as they stood outside the public entrance to GJ's underground facility, both in full mission gear, each sporting standard brown backpacks.

"I'm afraid this is very urgent Director. We need to see you right away. We have reason to believe that there may be two individuals running around, posing as Team Possible. If we're going to catch these nefarious evil doers, we're going to need your help." Kim replied in her most formal tone.

"Imposters you say? Hang on a second." The monitor screen hanging from the outside went black, allowing Ron to look over to Kim in half shock.

"'Nefarious evil doers'? A little much, don't you think?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Hey, they bought it." Kim replied almost in as much disbelief as Ron.

The main entrance way to the warehouse slowly opened with the sound of a loud, grinding creek, revealing almost a dozen Global Justice agents, each bearing weapons aimed directly at the duo. Before the two could shoot confused looks at each other, each one of the uniformed agents moved in formation, taking up positions completely surrounding the alternate Team Possible, their weapon sights never once looking away from the pair.

"They bought it, huh?" Ron asked with no small amount of sarcasm in his voice. Almost in response, the monitor came back to life, redisplaying the image of Doctor Director.

"You two must think news travels pretty slowly around here. The real Team Possible contacted us last night to apprise us of recent events. We worked out a code phrase just in case and you two missed your cue. Oh by the way, you're under arrest. Now place your gear slowly on the ground and don't make any sudden movements." Dr. Director wore a pleased look on her face as the alternate Ron and Kim both made a disgruntled look with their faces. Moving together, they both slowly dropped their backpacks to the ground and raised their arms into the air.

"Ma'am, one of them has something around their wrist." An agent called out, referring to the strange device that fit neatly around Ron's wrist.

"What is it, soldier?" Dr. Director's query came over the speaker.

"This?" Ron motioned with his head towards his wrist, his arms still remaining perfectly raised in the air. "Oh this has all kinds of fun little user features. Case in point, while we've been standing out here talking over your system, this little beauty has been transmitting a virus back through said system into your mainframe; a virus which, by now, has penetrated your firewall and begun shutting down your entire security system. Your monitoring system should be shutting down on you right about..." Ron seemed to count to himself silently before continuing "now."

Right on cue, the image of Dr. Director faded from the outside monitor. As the agents turned back to see this, Kim took her opportunity to reach into her lush red hair, retrieving two small pellets tied together to a braid running through her hair. In a swift motion, Kim tore the pellets apart and threw them in opposite directions. The pellets broke instantly, releasing a quick acting nerve gas.

As several of the GJ agents began to lose feeling within their limbs for a split second, Kim and Ron, having already turned away from the exploding pellets and held their breaths to defend themselves against the gas, took their chance to act.

The two were a blur, moving at amazing speeds, dispatching guard after guard with incredible skill and experience. Kim leapt up over two agents, grabbing each one by the head and smashing their skulls together as she flipped over them, dropkicking another in front of her. She finally came down to the ground, only to grab another agent and employ a judo throw, tossing him harshly into two more of his comrades.

Ron was no less impressive in his prowess. He moved quickly to disable two armed agents by reaching forward, grabbing one of their arms with each of his hands, and then twisting and bending sharply with terrible power, snapping bones loudly in the course of his attack. Ron then leapt up into the air with a spinning round house kick that smashed across the faces of three more agents.

The fight was over before anyone could appreciate what had happened.

-----------------------------------------------------

All throughout the facility, alarms blared warnings to all personnel. Everyone knew what to do. The lights were off, the halls illuminated only by swirling red patterns. Trained and conditioned agents moved to their posts, taking up positions and duties throughout the entire base. The facility was under attack. This situation had been simulated and drilled time and time again, and everyone knew their job. However, this was no drill.

"I want our systems back online thirty seconds ago." Dr. Director ordered from the main control room of the facility. Various agents and technicians rushed back and forth, shouting instructions and attempting to issue lock down procedures. But their systems seemed completely unwilling to comply.

"Director, they've breached the shaft." An agent shouted. A second later, another, faster, rapid alarm signaled off to the agent's side. "They're in the facility."

"Director, we've got intruders in…" a faint call came over a radio transmitter, only to be cut off by static, screaming and the sound of weapons fire.

"People, I'm hearing gunfire and no reports. Someone tell me what's going on! Activate the base security protocols. And get me visuals!" Dr. Director maintained her composure, though her tone of voice would have been enough to scare away the devil.

"The computers aren't responding. The entire security system is locked into a high level diagnostic. Even if we got computers back, we couldn't do anything about it for seven more minutes. Protocols won't engage." A technician responded.

"Shut down and reboot the main system. I want all hatches and exits sealed. Every blast door manually engaged. Where the hell did the two of them go?" Dr. Director's voice thundered even over the blaring alarms.

"Right here." A young voice came from behind.

Dr. Director was able to turn around just in time to see two faces that she once regarded as heroes move in a blur of speed, disabling two sentries with an efficiency that even she had to respect and fear.

"Stop them." Dr. Director's order went out even as the fighting was already well under way. Ron and Kim battled with a fierceness and brutality that was painful to look at. Even as Ron landed a close line style attack, knocking an agent to the ground, Kim smashed her palm straight into an agents face, drawing a spurt of blood as she spun right around and knocked her elbow into another.

Dr. Director moved to take the pair on even as they made short work of her agents. Grabbing a chair, she hurled it across the room at Ron, who instinctively sensed the attack. Instead of dodging it, he grabbed a nearby wounded agent and used him as a shield for the attack. As the chair smashed into the wounded agent's face, Dr. Director charged forward, tackling Ron to the ground, delivering a brutal blow with her elbow across Ron's face.

"That's going to cost you." Ron threatened, endeavoring to push the director off of him by forcing his arm into her neck. Dr. Director instead kept her leverage, crushing her elbow across Ron's face again and drawing more blood from his nose.

"I've been chewing and spitting out punks like you for years." Dr. Director hissed. However, before she could attack again, a thud could be heard coming from the back of her head. The director's eyes went blank, her form falling limp over Ron.

"I can't turn my back on you for a second, can I?" Kim chewed.

"Just get this cow off of me." Ron barked. As the pair rose up, they both moved over to the different consoles.

"Looks like the room we want is about fifty stories under ground. And there's at least ten sealed blast doors before we get to the shaft that'll take us down those stories." Kim called out, quickly pulling up a full layout of the base.

"Oh please. Who do you think created the virus that has got their system all tied up in knots. I can make their systems sit up and beg for me if I want." Ron worked furiously at the console. As he did, the monitors returned to life, displaying images of dozens of armed GJ agents in defensive positions throughout the facility.

"And I suppose you're going to tell me that you can make all of those guards with guns do the same?" Kim cocked an eyebrow.

"Even better." Ron grinned, as he continued working. Within seconds, the base's security protocols engaged. Every vent in the facility came alive, sending a powerful nerve gas through the halls and into every room. The gas' effects were instantaneous, immediately rendering unconscious any person whose nasal cavity inhaled even the slightest amount of the gas. They would wake up again in an hour with a splitting headache, but by then, this would all be over.

"And for my next trick…" With a few more strokes of the computer console Ron smiled, as Kim watched in mild amazement as various blast doors throughout the facility opened up, giving them a clear path straight to their target.

"Guess you really are worth keeping around." Kim smiled seductively before reaching into her backpack, cueing Ron to do the same.

-----------------------------------------------------

Twenty Global Justice agents stood trained at the bottom of an elevator shaft over fifty stories down from the main level. Each one had grabbed, or been handed gas masks by their comrades. The base's security protocols had been engaged, but the alarms were still blaring. Only the worst could be assumed at this point. Their duty was clear. Until they received orders to the contrary from Dr. Director, nothing came out of that elevator alive.

Their eyes shifted from the elevator doors themselves to the display over it, counting down the stories as the car descended further and further down the shaft. Five stories to go. Four. Three. Every gun tensed all at once as a slight ding from the elevator announced its arrival at the bottom of the shaft.

A thunderous explosion roared from the shaft as it belched a tidal wave of flame and force. The elevators doors shot out with the force of cannon balls, flying forward and killing four men as they were slammed into the back of the walls.

Agents burned alive, struggling to put themselves out as two figures in breathing masks leapt down from above the flaming elevator shaft.

"Guess you were right. Looks like we did miss a few." Ron admitted as he immediately leapt to the attack, quickly dispatching what few able agents remained.

"Always has to be something big and loud with you. For a ninja, you never were any good at sneaking." Kim shouted back as she too leapt into the fray.

The few able agents fought bravely, but it was a losing battle from the first instant. Many were struggling just to stand back up from having been blasted into the wall when the young pair tore into them, critically disabling most of them in a single blow.

"Oh come on. Say what you will, we haven't had this much fun in months." Ron grinned as he grabbed the weapon of a nearby GJ agent, only to smash across the back of another's legs.

"Thought you wanted to get all wrathful and whatnot. You know, 'burn their cities, raze them to the ground,' not beat up a bunch of government trained goons." Kim replied as she snapped the wrist of another agent before kicking out and disabling another.

"True, but all that gets a little impersonal. There's just something so satisfying about smelling the seared flesh, and breaking their bones in person." Ron snarled as he displaced an agent's knee with a firm kick before coming around and upper cutting another right off the ground.

"That's enough of that." A firm voice came from off to the side. Both Kim and Ron looked up in time to see three figures emerging from down a long hallway that connected to the main room where the battered GJ agents and the insidious pair stood.

"Don't know how things work where you're from…" a second voice continued.

"But these days, Team Impossible works for Global Justice. And that means you two and your rampage stops here." The third finished

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Ron rolled his eyes in frustration even as Kim focused on the trio.

"Well, it's your funeral." Kim turned to the team as she cracked her knuckles in anticipation.


	8. Heist II

Both teams tensed as they bore stares into each other, each side poised and ready for combat. All around them, alarm klaxons filled the air, the rooms on every corridor lit by emergency lights.

"Team Impossible?" Ron asked in disbelief. "You know we've got you guys where we're from. Only ours are actually… you know, scary."

"You guys have no idea who you're messing with." Kim sneered.

"Team Possible," Dash began.

".. from an alternate world." Crash continued.

"We know." Burn finished.

"Too bad you have no idea what you're in store for." Ron threatened.

"Kim's an expert in multiple combat techniques, most notably kung fu." Dash announced.

"While this Ron has mastered his command over Monkey Kung Fu." Burn went on.

"We know." Crash assured.

"News really travels fast around here." Ron grumbled to himself. He turned to Kim, who merely wore a confident grin.

"Team Impossible is now directly employed by Global Justice, whose facility, you two have attacked." Dash announced in his most formal tone yet.

"You are under arrest. Either come along quietly…" Crash went on.

"… or we will be forced to employ direct methods to assure your capitulation." Burn finished.

"In other words, we'll make you." Dash clarified.

"Let me make something clear for you boys. Right now, you are standing between us, and the room down the end of that hallway. Right now, you are safer swimming in a pool of piranhas, drenched in meat sauce, then where you are currently standing. Right now, you are in our way." Kim announced.

"I really wish there was another way." Dash half apologized.

"Really?" Ron asked.

"No." Dash responded.

"We still have to say that anyway." Crash explained.

"Protects Global Justice from liability." Burn finished.

"Can we just get on with it?" Kim asked through gritted teeth.

Burn was the first to leap into action, somersaulting straight into the air, aiming straight for Ron. Even as Ron dodged the attack, Kim turned to see both Dash and Crash moving around to flank her.

Crash moved in first, wielding his energy fork, but Kim ducked a swipe from the energy weapon, before kicking up and knocking the weapon out of the GJ agent's hand. Even as she brought herself to stance for another attack, Dash leapt at her from her unprotected side, knocking her to the ground with a drop kick.

Burn shot a barrage of fists at Ron, who continued to dodge each of them with casual ease. Ron ducked another such shot, only to somersault over Burn this time, his hand reaching down and grabbing the back of the agent's shirt as he went over head. As Ron landed upright, finally bringing his feet firmly on the ground, he used his own momentum and strength to lift and hurl Burn through the air, sending the hero to crash painfully into the side of the wall.

Kim kicked out straight into Dash's stomach, then, moving in flow with her own momentum, used the hero's stomach for support as she leapt up and back over Crash who moved to strike against her from behind. Kim landed just in time to swipe Crash straight off his feet. As the GJ agent regained his footing, he struck out with a haymaker that Kim quickly ducked before releasing a jaw crushing uppercut across Crash's face. The battered hero fell to the ground, leaving only Dash left standing before her.

Burn struggled to leap to his feet, only to find Ron at his side, kicking out in a very precise spot, knocking Burn's left leg joint out of place with a loud crack. As the blue and yellow clad man screamed out in pain, Ron's tensed fingers struck through the air towards the agent's throat, drawing a spit of blood from the agent's mouth as he felt himself close lined painfully to the ground.

Kim and Dash moved with almost super human speed and agility as they fought, attacking and defending with speeds most would find impossible to keep up with. Dash was determined to keep a tight defense. He remembered how well the original Kim Possible had singly handedly dispatched their entire team once before. He would not allow that to happen again. Even as Kim kicked out, Dash caught the foot between his hands, only to kick out himself, knocking Kim to the ground. Yet Kim was back on her feet in an instant, forcing Dash to press his attack with a series of jabs, each of which Kim managed to dodge.

As the two fought, Crash managed to force himself, rather uneasily, back up to his feet, blood gushing from his nose. Grabbing his laser fork, he steadied his gaze on Kim Possible, even as she landed a brutal roundhouse to his teammate. Drawing the weapon to a readied state, he moved to attack his seemingly unaware opponent, only to be crushed into from the side by a drop kick from Ron Stoppable. The agent hit the floor hard, punctuated by a small number of cracks from within his own body.

"Those were the three least important bones in your body. Unless you want me to go on, stay down." Ron threatened.

Even as Crash grabbed as his backside in pain, Ron looked up at the fight displayed before him.

Dash wiped the blood off from beneath his nose, barely managing to dodge another kick from his opponent. He attempted to swipe her feet out from underneath her, but Kim easily leapt back over the attack, then, touching down on the floor long enough to build up tension within her muscles, leapt back forward with a flying spin kick that knocked Dash out hard to the ground.

Each one of Team Impossible moaned and groaned from their injuries, not one of them rising up for a renewed battle.

"Pitiful." Kim spit down on Dash's battered face.

"Not even worth a morning work out." Ron dug his foot a little harder into the back of Crash, before reaching down for his backpack and then continuing down the hallway from which Team Impossible had emerged, prompting Kim to follow.

"How much farther?" Kim shouted over the blaring alarms as she and Ron ran side by side down the dimly illuminated brown stone.

"There." Ron's eyes lit up as he saw the hallway widen and expand, leading straight to an enormous metal wall blocking their path. The wall itself was solid and thick, just by appearance. Steel that had not been disturbed forcibly ever, bearing only the slight decay of time with barely visible edges that indicated it was actually a massive doorway, but one that would likely not open willingly to the pair.

"Great. Well this isn't budging." Kim noted as she lightly tapped her wrist against the side, determining the enormous door to be at least five feet thick. "Don't suppose you brought a key?"

"Why am I always the one with the answers? Thought this was your team anyway?" Ron muttered, even as he moved over to a small metallic hatch off to the side of the massive doorway. As Ron drew it open to reveal a panel with a series of number keys and a display screen prompting him for his personal ID code, the blond haired villain began activating assorted controls on the side of his wrist device.

"Hey, you're the one with massive enhanced IQ remember? Otherwise, I'd just beat Wade till he opened it." Kim shot back, even as she watched Ron draw a slight cord from within his wrist device, moving it until it magnetically attached to the side of the panel, scanning and processing data. "By the way, when are you going to come up with a name for that thing anyway?"

"What the hell do you want me to call it? A Ronnicator?" Ron asked incredulously as the very device drew up the proper codes that he needed. Confidently, Ron began pressing a series of numbers in proper order. On cue, the enormous door let out a massive hiss as air flew out right into Kim and Ron's faces. The pair tried to fan the stale air from their faces with their hands as they entered.

"So, this is where it happens huh?" Kim asked as her eyes went wide at the sight before her.

"Yep. This is 'The Lab'." The Lab was mostly only a rumor as far as the super villain community was concerned. Everyone knew that Global Justice had, with few exceptions, made a long standing policy of disposing of every destructive super weapon that they ever confiscated, whether by themselves or with the aide of Team Possible. What only a few had come to believe was that Global Justice actually took the time to carefully analyze and study some of the more advanced, and deadly, technologies they confiscated before reducing them for scrap.

"There's enough hardware here for a dozen super cannons." Kim's eyes were tantalized by enormous shelves of carefully stored and catalogued equipment. Spare parts and pieces were delicately arranged over a series of tables throughout the room, and a half assembled/disassembled machine of some kind, with tags indicating it had been confiscated in St. Louis months ago stood tall in the middle of the room.

"Too bad you're not going anywhere with any of it." Dr. Director's voice suddenly echoed throughout the room. Kim and Ron turned about to see her face being broadcast clearly through a monitor hanging down from the ceiling. Even as she spoke, as if on cue, the enormous metal door through which the duo had entered grinded down, closing shut and sealing the two inside. "Congratulations you two. You just managed to trap yourselves inside our deepest, most heavily shielded room in the entire base. There's no way out except through the huge steel door that just locked you in and all of the equipment in there comes with some assembly required! Make yourselves comfortable because you're not going anywhere."

Kim and Ron smiled widely at each other as they turned back to the monitor.

"Oh gosh no. We're trapped." Kim called out mockingly.

"Goodness. We didn't plan that far ahead." Ron rolled his eyes, following Kim's lead.

"It's too bad we didn't have an escape plan for getting out of here." Kim continued in their little performance.

"Spare me your overconfident dramatics. You're a total of over fifty stories beneath solid earth. Unless you both brought shovels, you're flat out of luck." Dr. Director was unfazed by the pair's performance.

"Yeah. Man if only we had found some way to rig some kind of interdimensional portal to operate via remote and open up right inside the vault on command so that we could just walk right out on our own with as much as we and our goons could carry." At this, Ron produced his aforementioned remote. "Oh wait… well you can guess the rest."

As Ron pressed down on the remote, another blue and white vortex of light appeared, this time within the room, its event horizon perpendicular to the floor instead of parallel as in the past. Right on cue, ten red dressed thugs emerged from vortex, lead by Shego.

"Alright guys. You've got your lists. Go shopping." Shego shouted as the men began moving across the Lab, carefully selecting pieces of technology not found anywhere else on the planet as if they were mere items in a super market.

"You won't get away with this!" It was an empty threat, but it was all Dr. Director had power to issue as she watched helplessly while her facility's most valuable laboratory was looted before her very eyes.

"Oh, gee. Too bad. You know, you could probably get someone down here to stop us, if most of your thugs weren't already gassed, and I hadn't already reset the locks on that big steel door." Ron grinned as he watched the different items being lifted onto large carts before being moved back through the bright blue vortex in the center of the room.

"Well, it has been fun," Kim waved as she watched the last of the thugs carrying away the equipment they needed, "but we've got places to go, death and destruction to reign."

"We'll keep in touch, I'm sure." Ron smiled as he grabbed Kim by the waist, the two casually walking towards the vortex, following Shego as the last ones out, before the very vortex closed right behind them, sealing the fate of the entire planet with it.


	9. Ultimatium

"Oh my god. So, there was a version of me too?" Kim Possible asked again in disbelief at the destruction all around her. Rubble and dust piled across the floor, even as medical personnel carried assorted GJ agents down the hall way past the group in stretchers. Though the attack was over, a sense of urgency still filled the hall ways as assorted instructions were sent out over the base PA system while various agents hurried themselves to their various duties and tasks.

"And, clearly, she brought an atomic bomb with her." Ron Stoppable added as he stepped over a large piece of what used to be ceiling. Ahead of him and Kim, Doctor Director led them through the wrecked facility.

"An atomic bomb is a firecracker compared to what they got their hands on." Doctor Director stated in no uncertain tone as she walked down to the 'Lab's' enormous steel doors, where technicians still struggled to undo the lockout over the door. "We still haven't been able to get inside and get an exact count on what was taken, but based on the footage that we were able to recover from inside the Lab, we could be looking at enough parts to build the mother of all doomsday weapons here."

"I thought you said they crippled your main system. How did you recover video footage?" Kim asked, her voice slightly distant as she continued to survey the sights around her. Men with visibly dislocated bones and serious burns to the surface of their skins still lay on the ground, unable to be safely moved, given only the very basic of attention by fellow agents until the overworked medical staff of the facility could reach them. Kim could only imagine that this was what it was like on a battlefield. So many wounded, and not enough aide to attend to them.

"They did. Fortunately, a few things around here work on independent systems inaccessible from the main one, including the monitors inside the lab. I've already taken the liberty of sending the footage to your friend, Wade." Doctor Director smiled at Kim and Ron. "Of course you realize that that footage and all information and knowledge pertaining to the occurrence of this attack are considered highly classified. By all rights, the two of you shouldn't even be here." Doctor Director's voice took on an official tone.

"Understood Doctor Director. You can count on us." Kim saluted proudly.

"Mum's the word." Ron followed Kim's example.

"Uh-huh. Lips sealed." Rufus added from atop Ron's shoulder, miming the motion of zipping his lips shut.

"Good." Doctor Director's voice changed from formal to grave. "Just promise to give those two bit punks one for me."

"Count on it." Kim smiled in an assuring manner at the Director before adding to herself '_if we could just figure out what they're up to."_

-----------------------------------------------------

Kim and Shego walked side by side, each eying the other uneasily as if ready to attack as they entered the laboratory where Ron and Drakken worked.

"No, no, no! This goes here, that goes there." Ron motioned to illustrate his instructions as he held his wrench tightly in his spare hand, as if ready to beat his 'lab partner' over the head with it.

"Sure, if you want the entire thing to melt down after the first shot! Whoever taught you how to build a doomsday weapon anyway?" Drakken shouted back in defiance.

"You raise your voice to me one more time and so help me…" Ron's hand rose in the air as if ready to strike.

"Boys, boys. Play nice now or I'll make you both stand in the corner." Kim mocked as she walked past the squabbling pair up to the large device being constructed before her, a mess of tools littered all around her.

"He started it." Ron and Drakken accused simultaneously.

"That's great." Shego answered dismissively as she stood beside Kim. "So, are you two going to actually have this thing working soon?" Shego looked up in awe at the impressive mechanical construct before her. If nothing else, it certainly was big. Whether or not it was capable of even half her new partners had been boasting was still largely in question in her mind.

"Assuming 'Andrew' here doesn't cross anymore wires and blow us all up, yeah. We'll be ready to party in no time." Ron answered as he went back to work.

"And once this cannon is finished, we will be able to defeat Kim Possible and rule the world!" Drakken began his trademark maniacal laugh, drawing looks of disbelief from both Kim and Ron.

"Rule the world? Is he serious?" Kim asked Shego rhetorically.

"Forget it. Can't be done." Ron answered simply, not bothering to look away from his work.

"Say what?" Drakken asked sheepishly. "But… I thought we were going to conquer…"

"What? You thought we'd build some super gun, destroy cities and then just take over the world like it was ours to take, like candy off a shelf." Kim asked, her gaze boring deeply into Drakken's eyes.

"If I say 'yes', are you going to hit me?" Drakken replied meekly.

"Have you ever taken a look at the world?" Kim threw her hands up in the air, as she began walking off, speaking now in general to no one in particular. "Ever bothered to just stare at a globe, maybe get some perspective on this whole global domination scheme of yours? The Earth is huge. Even with over seventy percent of its surface covered by water, that still leaves over a hundred and forty eight million square kilometers of ground to cover, and all across that are over six billion people and counting."

Kim walked over and picked up a spare tool that had been discarded to the side. "Six billion and counting, and it only takes one spark to start a fire. One person, one random stupid person to stir things up and turn the whole world upside down. The world is just too much to hold on to, too unpredictable and unstable to keep a grip on. Hitler couldn't do it, Napoleon couldn't do it, the British Empire, the Roman Empire, hell, even God couldn't hold on to it forever. What makes you think you could do it with some stupid doomsday weapon."

Drakken was left speechless as Kim continued in her rant. Though she couldn't see it, Ron smiled widely as Kim went on.

"You want to sit on the throne of the world and wear a crown that says 'Emperor'. Go right ahead. You might as well stand in the middle of the biggest bull's-eye ever with the words "Shoot Here" painted on your forehead. Check your history. Every would be Emperor of the world either got his castle smashed to the ground or stabbed in the back before he could even wear a hole in his throne. You want to take the world, go ahead. You'll never hold on to it."

"So, why stop the world when you can change the way it spins?" Ron smiled

"Exactly. Why take over the country of Rodeghan when you can just force its King to offer sanctuary to you and your men whenever you need, once you've convinced the King of just how easily you can get to his spoiled, no good son and kill him on a seconds notice. Instead of spending all your time battling with the law, bribe the right corrupt heads. The ones that won't take cash can take lead, and if they're not scared for themselves, they will be for their families. Get yourself your own criminal organization and make sure that they get their claws into every major government on Earth, and suddenly, you're quite not running the world, but you are running the people who run it instead."

"Pull the right strings, and before you know it, you've got whatever you want whenever you want it without having to make yourself the center of the world and a target. You dangle the strings, and the people will hate your puppets instead of you, never being any the wiser." Ron finished, grinning at the recollection of disturbing memories. Even as he finished his thought, he connected two wires together; drawing a loud hum from the machine as it slowly came to life. "Ok, it's finished." Ron announced proudly.

"So, now what?" Shego asked softly, almost afraid of the answer.

"Now, we pull some strings." Kim replied.

-----------------------------------------------------

"Good news guys." Wade spoke over the Kimmunicator, his voice carrying through the battered halls of Global Justice. "I just got a call from your dad and… uh… Dr. Lipsky." Wade added uneasily. "Our new interdimensional tracking system is up and running."

"Alright, score one for the good guys." Ron added enthusiastically, high fiving, or rather fingering, Rufus on his shoulder.

"Great, now all we need is for them to open another portal and we can track its source?" Kim asked.

"You bet. The only thing now is…. Uh guys. You gotta see this." Wade's eyes went wide as they beheld an image on the computer screen in front of him. After a few choice key strokes on his computer, Wade was able to show Kim and Ron exactly what he was talking about.

"Oh no." Kim let out a faint whisper as the image of Team Possible, the other Team Possible, came through over the Kimmunicator.

"Attention world." The image of the short haired Ron Stoppable speaking, with Kim Possible off to his side, came through over a slight static. "For those of you out there who don't speak English, this message is being translated for your convenience, and because what we have to say, we are only going to say once."

The other Kim went on. "We are Team Possible, not to be confused with a pair of do gooder looser super heroes who happen to look exactly like us, running around and saving people. And this…" Kim motioned behind her to an enormous machine with a long cannon shaft extending outward through a targeting vent in the ceiling "… is our gun." Kim finished rather simply.

"Its full name is somewhat technical and tedious to pronounce, so we've decided to shorten it. We call it a Mega Cannon, simply because the destructive power that this thing will unleash is in the megaton range. So for those of you who aren't good with numbers; that makes it a gun with the punch of a nuclear weapon." Ron smiled widely at the screen.

Kim continued. "Now, some of you might be wondering, what makes a gun like this so special, that we just had to go and interrupt your boring little lives to tell you about it? Well, because this little toy has a very special feature."

"You see, the reason you don't see many death rays or Mega Cannons or other similar weapons out there these days is that they are all limited by line of sight. A gun like this only has a certain theatre of operation, and a very limited one at that. Hence, why most countries prefer missiles that can be propelled via rockets to far away targets, adjusting their course even if the target is not a straight shot away. Sadly, these days, missiles just aren't as reliable as they used to be, which is why we went with this. What makes this gun so different you ask?" Ron asked rhetorically.

"We've made some improvements. Here, take a look. Oh, and by the way, for those of you in the northern Arizona area, more specifically, the vicinity of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon, now might be a good time to run screaming in terror. It won't help, but knock yourselves out anyway." As Kim grinned sadistically at her own statement, the screen moved to capture Ron as he activated the device.

The enormous death ray on the screen powered up, its point tip glowing a bright red as the room around it seemed to vibrate and shake with the energy being gathered. However, before the weapon discharged, Kim and Ron were shocked to see a bright blue and white vortex, virtually identical to the one Global Justice's cameras had seen the alternate Team Possible use to escape from within their complex, appear not three feet in front of the gun's cannon tip.

The weapon discharged directly into the vortex, the enormous red beam completely consumed by the portal before the ray powered down, prompting the vortex to disappear.

The image on the screen changed again. This time, Kim and Ron could tell that they were looking through a live satellite feed which Kim quickly recognized as the Grand Canyon. Promptly on cue, the same blue and white vortex materialized again, immediately depositing the very same red beam right over the center of the Canyon.

The image on the screen began to dissolve in the face of the enormous resulting explosion. Rock, tree, underbrush, and indeed all of nature itself was knocked up into the air in the face of the devastating explosion. Rock structures that had taken countless millennium to form were reduced to debris, defaced beyond all recognition before the awesome power unleashed.

The explosion radiated outward, continuing to consume everything in its path. The image purposefully expanded further and further up to show the full effect of the weapon's power as the Canyon was turned into a lifeless crater.

The image shifted again to show a simple outline of the entire canyon from a map's perspective. A lone dot marked the point of weapon impact, followed by a red dotted outline that expanded ever outward to illustrate the full effected area of the weapon. Kim and Ron lost their breath to see that it expanded well beyond the total radius of the Canyon itself.

"For those of you wondering what just happened…" Ron's voice and face returned to the screen. "… we just opened an interdimensional portal over the grand Canyon, allowing us to deliver the full power of the Mega Cannon at point blank range to a target millions of miles away."

"This very targeting technology can be adapted to target any point on the globe, and deliver the same weapon with the same devastating effects that you just saw. We now have the ultimate long range weapon, and the ideal delivery system. No place on this planet is safe from us." Kim's voice bellowed with cruel delight.

"In exactly one hour, we will start targeting major cities around the globe, one every fifteen minutes after the hour deadline. Now, I'm sure you're wondering 'oh no. Whatever will we do? What could these cruel people want?'" Ron feigned distress in a high pitched tone of voice.

"Ooh, that's my cue!" Dr. Drakken could be heard exclaiming excitedly off to the side as he stepped into view of the camera. "People of the world, I am Dr. Drakken. My demands are as follows…hey!" Drakken began to rant, but Kim and Ron were surprised as their evil alternate selves pushed Drakken back off to the side, putting their own visages close to the camera.

"What do we want? Oh that's easy." Ron's face taunted the camera and his helpless audience.

"We want to hear the screams. So don't hold back." Even as Kim spoke, the image on the Kimmunicator went dead, only to be replaced by Wade's horrified expression.

"Guys, I think we are in big trouble."


	10. Final Battle Begins

The image on the Kimmunicator screen replayed itself again and again. Team Possible watched in numbed terror as the entire area was reduced to ground zero by the attack.

"Turn if off, Wade." Kim finally instructed. The image on the screen was replaced by a two way conference, Wade's image taking up the entire top half of the screen and Dr. Lipsky from within a NASA laboratory in the lower half. Off to the side of Team Possible stood Doctor Director. "Andrew, tell me you and my dad were able to find those two."

"Yes." Dr. Lipsky replied firmly. "The new tracking system we picked up detected two energy signatures consistent with the signature of the Dimensional Vortex Generator. One of them came from Colorado, and the other came from a small island in the South Pacific. That's where the other Team Possible is hiding."

"I just got off the phone with the Joint Chiefs." Dr. Director interjected. "If you've really found out where they are hiding, I'm instructed to call in an air strike with napalm and melt that island to glass."

"Bad idea." Wade replied. "I took the liberty of taking some satellite pictures of the island. It looks fairly undefended… until I found this." Wade typed in a few choice keys on his computer pad, prompting an image of an enormously large tesla coil standing over a hundred feet into the air over the peak of the large mountain in the center of the island in question.

"What is that?" Ron asked.

"It's a Point Defense System. They've got one in our world too." Dr. Lipsky's image reappeared on the screen of the Kimmunicator. "Doctor Director, that thing is capable of shooting down any number of planes you send at it out of the sky in seconds, as well as any missiles fired. The same with any ground assault. They'll all be annihilated before getting within a mile of the stronghold. That thing could target a fly with a ray weapon powerful enough to melt steel like butter."

"I hope you have another way of getting in then. The President is going to want to know what we plan to do about this situation." Doctor Director's determination had not wavered in the slightest, despite Dr. Lipsky's warnings, eyeing the scientist squarely.

"We go in through the secret underwater entrance." Ron answered.

For a moment, all eyes turned on Ron with a mixture of confusion and astonishment.

"And how do you know they have a secret underwater entrance?" Kim asked, her eyebrows arched.

"Oh come on. Setting up a secret headquarters on a small, totally isolated and completely exposed island in the middle of nowhere. I know I'd have one if I wanted to be able to escape without anyone noticing." Ron replied rather obviously.

Stunned silence reigned for a moment longer before Kim turned back to the images on the Kimmunicator.

"Wade?"

"I think Ron might be onto something. Thermal scans are picking up an underground structure that looks like it might empty into the ocean." Wade responded with a note of surprise in his voice as data presented itself across his screen.

"Then that's our way in. We'll need a ride." Kim turned to Doctor Director.

"I think I can arrange that." The Director smiled widely.

-----------------------------------------------------

"In the United States, the National Guard has been mobilized in every state to help with the evacuations going on all across the country. Reports are already coming in of traffic in the cities of New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia being completely crippled due to the sheer volume of fender benders and assorted other accidents resulting from a panicked populace desperately fleeing their homes in search of safety. Of course the question on everyone's minds in a situation like this is where exactly might such a place be?"

The image of the reporter on the screen suddenly went mute, the report continuing on in deafened silence as the villainous quartet continued to stare at the images on the screen. Thousands of people had taken to the streets, carrying supplies and themselves down the highway passed trapped vehicles. Families struggled desperately to remain together and keep moving, using everything from shopping carts to their own shoulders to carry what they might need just to survive another night.

"Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful." Ron whispered in a hushed awe.

"Reminds me of home." Kim grinned, her arms crossed as she tried to focus in on the looks of terror in the eyes of the people on the screen.

Dr. Drakken and Shego simply looked at each other almost nervously, Drakken twiddling his fingers aimlessly before finally working up the courage to speak. "Uhmm, I don't suppose you'd like to tell me what the real plan is?" He asked meekly.

"Real plan?" Ron asked, his eyebrow rose slightly.

"Yeah." Shego responded. "I mean what, you're just going to blast every city on Earth and that's it?" Her voice as unsure and unconfident as Drakken, though she managed to hide it slightly better.

"No." Ron replied plainly.

Shego and Drakken let out a collective sigh.

"Just a few to get our point across. Or at least as many as it takes till our do-gooder selves show up to try and stop us." Kim announced.

"Once we've got them, we'll leave. You two can keep the Mega Cannon if you want. We've already got one back home." Ron explained rather simply.

"What, that's it? Just like that?" Shego asked, unconvinced.

"What? You expect us to stay, conquer this place like we did back home? Try to hold on to two earths at the same time?" Kim asked.

"Well, actually… yes. I would." Drakken replied.

"Hmm, we thought about it. But we've still got some problems back home to work out. It's enough work keeping our own world in line as it is, trying to manage two at the same time would definitely be biting off more than we can chew." Kim went on.

Shego's gaze focused on Kim intently, but her thoughts were interrupted by a blaring siren ringing throughout the control room.

"What's that? What's happening?" Drakken asked frantically.

"We've got company." Ron grinned.

-----------------------------------------------------

Ron and Kim rechecked over their wetsuits and breathing equipment. The two had made the trip via hypersonic aircraft to the South Pacific where they had boarded the Sea Wolf class submarine, the Trident, which was currently just off the coast of the island lair in question. Even making the trip in record time only left the pair with fifteen minutes before the deadline. Most of the major cities in the world wouldn't even be thirty percent completed with their evacuation. The first shot would surely kill millions, no matter which target picked, if Kim and Ron failed.

"The captain has confirmed our holding off the island. I believe we are going to have to swim the rest of the way." Dr. Lipsky walked into the room in his own wetsuit, already geared up and ready to go.

"This is all assuming that they haven't spotted us. With their technology, you'd think they wouldn't have a problem spotting a submarine just off their coast." Kim replied as she placed her goggles over her eyes.

"Maybe they're on a coffee break." Ron offered uneasily.

"Or it's a trap." Dr. Lipsky finished.

-----------------------------------------------------

"There's still one thing I don't get." Kim's voice came over the trio's headset as they swam together in formation beneath the dark waters, guided mostly by a GPS set on Kim's wrist. "If they can open a dimensional portal over any city that they want and drop a huge laser beam, why didn't they just use that to pop right into Global Justice instead of breaking in through the front door? They didn't have any problem using the technology to make their escape."

"I've been thinking about that." Dr. Lipsky replied. "It's quite likely that the targeting system on their Dimensional Vortex Generator isn't completely refined. The Lab was over fifty stories underground and if they had opened a portal even a few feet off target…"

"… they'd have been sharing mail with the groundhogs." Ron concluded.

"Somewhat crudely put, but accurate. Without a relay point to transmit more precise coordinates to their base, they could have very easily materialized inside solid rock during their break in. However, I doubt that their targeting system is off by more than a few feet, which probably won't make much difference now since they are targeting entire cities with a weapon as powerful as the Mega Cannon."

Kim was about to say something when a sight up ahead caught her attention.

"There. The secret underwater entrance." Kim shinned her light in the direction, noting a large, industrially carved mouth within a large rock formation ahead of the group.

"Ha, see. You owe me a Naco!" Ron exclaimed proudly.

"Perhaps we might wait to settle all debts until after this is all over." Dr. Lipsky offered as his pace increased. Kim and Ron followed after, swimming in through the opening, following it up into a large, artificially lit cavern, a metal floor completely surrounding the pool into which the opening lead into.

The trio broke the surface of the water, removing their breathing gear to taste air, when a large sound thundered over head, slightly shaking the cave walls around them.

"What was that?" Kim asked.

"Oh that would be the sound of our Point Defense System in action." A cruel voice rained down from atop a metal walkway that went all around the entire chamber. The trio looked up to see Ron Stoppable, the other Ron Stoppable, leaning back, his arms crossed, against the cave wall. "Oh that reminds me, if you're thinking of getting a ride back home, you might want to try an airplane. I understand flying is the safest way to travel these days. Too bad no one explained that to the crew of that sub of yours."

"Villain!" Dr. Lipsky shouted.

"Actually, I prefer the term 'deranged sociopath.'" Ron explained.

"We don't have time for this. You guys go. I'll handle him." The original Ron stated confidently as he lifted himself out of the water, casually dropping his breathing tank and equipment and removing his wetsuit to reveal his mission gear.

Kim bit back the urge to protest, well aware that they were both on an urgent time table. Taking a split second, the two shot each other a knowing look that they both instantly understood.

_Good luck._

Grabbing Dr. Lipsky by the arm, Kim helped him out of the water. Both quickly discarded their wet gear before heading off down a corridor that lead out of the enormous chamber, leaving the two Rons too themselves.

"You have no idea how much I have been looking forward to this." The short haired Ron stated.

"Guess we have something in common after all."

-----------------------------------------------------

Kim and Andrew hurried down the dimly lit corridor, both trying to keep a mental clock of the time remaining.

Less than ten minutes.

The pair quickly found themselves inside what appeared to be an enormous assembly area or lab of some kind. A large supply of tools and spare parts lay littered about the floor, and a massive imprint stained the center of the room, marking where some kind of large device of some sort had clearly been moved.

Standing tall and proud in the middle of the mess of mechanical devices was a tall, red haired young woman that Kim had been looking forward to meeting.

"So, you're the hero around here, huh?" The other Kim Possible asked sarcastically, her eyes focusing intently on the pair. "You know, I couldn't believe it, I just couldn't believe it. Even when I heard it, saw it for myself, I still thought it was just some bad dream. Maybe some crazy scheme of Lipskys to drive me insane or something. But look at you. The real thing. Teen hero extraordinaire. Can't believe you actually did it, Andrew." Her gaze turned to the scientist.

"I told you there was a better world, and that I'd make you answer for all the horrible things you've done." Dr. Lipsky stated firmly, as if there was a triumph, however small, to be found in this moment.

"Yeah, yeah. Too bad your wife isn't here to share your little moment. Oh you should have heard her scream, beg, to tell me everything about your little plan. She was pleading to give you up, to sell you out so that I'd stop." Kim's lips curled sinisterly. "I've got the whole thing on DVD if you don't believe me."

"HARLET! I swear you'll pay." Rage coursed through the scientist as he ran charging toward his nemesis, who remained perfectly calm and composed in the face of the rampaging doctor. However, before Andrew Lipsky could reach his foe, he was cut off as Kim Possible leapt between the two, landing to cut him off.

"She's only trying to distract us, to stall for time. Go. Shut down her cannon. I'll cover you." Kim shouted the order as her gaze came firmly down upon her double.

"Yes, yes. Go. Go fail this world like you failed your own a dozen times over." The other Kim waved dismissively as she slowly composed herself for combat.

For a moment, Dr. Lipsky seemed torn between the decision before himself. However, as he considered ignoring his duties, and giving in to his rage, his anger, he looked down at his hand, his eyes focusing on a golden band around his ring finger.

"I'll see you later. Good luck with her." Dr. Lipsky answered finally, speaking to Kim as he ran off past the pair. For a moment, the original Kim expected her double to leap after the scientist, yet she remained perfectly composed against herself.

"So, just you and me." Kim smiled.

"Come on hero; let's see what you've got." The other Kim challenged.

-----------------------------------------------------

Ron Stoppable blocked a kick to his head, following through with a blow to his double's gut which was deflected. The two moved faster than the eye could follow with a series of blows and blocks, finally climaxing as Ron managed to grab a thrust from his double and using it against him in the form of a judo throw that sent his double flying through the air.

The short haired Ron regained his bearings, leaping to his feet in time to see the original Ron fly towards him with a drop kick. Acting quickly, the alternate Ron ducked the attack, and then leapt up into the air with a flying spin kick that clobbered the original Ron as he touched down, hitting him squarely in the face. Determined to keep up the pressure, the short haired Ron followed through with a swipe and a roundhouse kick, both of which missed.

The original Ron maintained his defense, keeping his arms and hands close to his face as he deflected a series of jabs from his opponent.

"I know all about you." The short haired Ron taunted, even as he managed to swipe his double's feet out from beneath him. "You're just the sidekick, the distraction. You run around, make a scene, embarrass yourself, and usually get lucky."

The alternate Ron's foot shot down to land right on top of the original's lungs, but was caught squarely by his twin's hands.

"I've improved my repertoire lately." The original Ron stated confidently as he twisted the alternate Ron's foot, prompting a loud cracking sound that elicited a cry of pain. Even as the short haired Ron grabbed for his foot in a vain attempt to control the pain, the original Ron leapt to his feet, kicking out fiercely and knocking his double to the ground.

-----------------------------------------------------

Kim Possible ducked a roundhouse kick, before leaping back and over another. She came down, quickly using her own momentum, only to propel herself back at her double, tackling her and sending them both to the ground.

"What do you get out of it?" The alternate Kim asked, even as she head butted her double, knocking her back, and giving herself a chance to regain her footing.

"You wouldn't understand." Kim replied, even as the pair stood back, both regaining their pose. "People like you can never think about anything but themselves. You'd never understand anything about me."

"Oh you'd be surprised." Even as the leather clad Kim spoke, she leapt forward through the air to land a drop kick on her opponent. The original Kim ducked the attack, coming around in time to deflect a roundhouse kicked from her opponent. Kim quickly regained the offensive with a haymaker which the other Kim caught firmly in her grip, allowing her to taunt her opponent. "Dear diary, still no news on Ron. His postcard said he'd be home soon, but of course, I have no idea when soon is." The other Kim mocked in a high pitched, dreamy school girl voice. "Sound familiar?"

"My diary?" Kim asked aloud. Her momentary shock gave the other Kim the chance needed to kick out, hitting her opponent squarely in the stomach, forcing her to draw a long breath. "How…?" Kim managed to gasp the question.

"Blame my Ron. He downloaded it off your computer just as you and your boyfriend got home. You know, we really do have a lot more in common than I was willing to admit." The alternate Kim mused almost fondly.

Kim turned rage red at this. Anger seethed through her entire system which she harnessed into a haymaker that knocked her twin back, drawing blood from her nose.

"I am nothing like you! You've killed hundreds of people. You're a murderer, a monster." Kim shouted, bringing her foot around for a roundhouse kick that the other Kim caught squarely in her hands.

"Well, to each her own." The leather clad Kim smiled as she used her strength to grab her twin's leg, lifting it up into the air and spinning it around a hundred and eighty degrees before letting go, sending the original flying through the air to skid roughly onto the ground. "But there are similarities. After all, we both keep our boy toys dangling by strings like the good little puppets they are."

-----------------------------------------------------

"You think a few new moves are enough to take me?" The short haired Ron asked, even as he reset his foot in a swift movement. "You're just the sideshow. She's saved your life so many times, it's pitiful."

Rising back to his feet, the other Ron renewed his attack with a left strike, then a right. The original managed to dodge both, only to catch a knee straight to the gut, causing him to double over in pain.

"You think that because your girlfriend has held your hand all this time, that that makes you a hero. That that gives you what it takes to play with the big boys?" The alternate Ron followed through with a harsh uppercut, sending the original to the ground, spitting blood. "Nobody ever watched my back. I learned to take care of myself, to fight my own battles." The short haired Ron hissed as he stood over his twin, grabbing him by his shirt, only to land a solid blow across his face. "The only reason you ever mattered to anyone was because of her." Another solid fist impacted across Ron's face. "But she's not here right now, and that means you are nothing." And another. "You're nobody." And another. "You don't even deserve her." The short haired Ron hissed.

Pure determination shot through Ron Stoppable's body, giving him renewed strength as he retaliated with a forceful strike to his double's throat. The alternate Ron lost his grip, gasping for air as he fell back.

"Got that right." Ron stated coldly.

-----------------------------------------------------

"You know nothing about us." Kim stated furiously as she leapt to her feet. Grabbing a spare wrench as a weapon, she quickly charged her double, swinging the weapon through the air. But the alternate Kim saw the attack coming and casually dodged it, before grabbing her twin's hand and twisting it behind her back in a single swift movement.

"Oh I know all I need to know." She whispered into the original's ear. "You know, I'm as big a fan as any of manipulating men into doing whatever you want them too, and I'm even pretty good at it too, but I never could top you."

"That's…." Kim tried to argue, but was cut off as she bit down the urge to scream at her arm being twisted even tighter behind her.

"Josh Mankey ring a bell?" The other Kim grinned widely. "You let that loser of a sidekick of yours run around the world, risk his life to find some stupid flower, and all while you were out on the town with some nice beefcake."

Biting down hard, Kim pressed her feet down hard before leaping backwards into her double, causing them both to stumble back and forcing her double to lose her grip. Kim then leapt away to give herself a chance to regain feeling in her arm.

"I mean, I've got my Ron dangling right around my finger, and I don't think even I could get him to risk his neck so that I could go out on a date." The alternate Kim went on, snickering to herself the whole time. "I mean seriously, I'm good, but even I'm not that good. I gotta ask, what's your secret?"

Kim snarled before charging her double, lashing out with a series of kicks and punches that her double managed to dodge or deflect, before retaliating with a haymaker to the original and knocking her down to the ground, drawing a trail of blood from her nose.

"You know, maybe after I get done with you, I'll keep him for myself. If you can whip him into shape, I shouldn't have too much trouble. It'd be for the best, really. After all, it seems like he deserves better than you anyway."

Forcing herself past the pain, Kim shot back up with an uppercut that knocked her twin into the air, only to land hard on the ground.

"I know." Kim's voice could have frozen an entire ocean.

-----------------------------------------------------

"I know you're new to the neighborhood, so let me fill you in on how things work around here." Ron quickly arched and twisted his body to dodge a series of attacks from his double before landing a fierce punch straight into the gut of his opponent. "Kim's got the whole world lined up for her on a silver platter, and she's earned it. She could have absolutely anyone she wants; the line goes around the high school twice. There are people who would kill to be her best friend, her boyfriend and who does she pick? Me."

The other Ron managed to gasp enough air in his lung to swing up with a fierce uppercut, but the original caught the attack, turning it into a judo throw that hurled his opponent through the air.

"Me. A complete screw up, a real clown, and yet she chose me as her best friend. Whatever else the world threw at me, I always had her, pulling me out of every kind of hazard imaginable, from toxic waste filled pits with mutant sharks in them to Barkin."

"Oh gag me." The short haired Ron managed to spit, even as he forced himself to his feet. Wiping blood from his face, the alternate Ron managed to attack again with a foot swipe, which he then twisted his body to shape into a kick, which the original Ron managed to catch squarely against his chest.

"For as long as I live, I'll never know why." Ron threw the foot up into the air, prompting his double to move in flow with the momentum which he transformed into a flip. However, as the other Ron completed mid flip, the original kicked out, knocking him out of the air and hard to the ground. "But I can't even imagine what your Kim saw in you."

"Shut up."

"You must have had to jump through some pretty small hoops to earn her attention. Probably stalked her like some kind of desperate pervert before she even gave you the time of day." Ron grinned.

"I'll tear you to pieces." The other Ron spit.

-----------------------------------------------------

"Amidst all that incoherent rambling, you did manage to get one thing right." Kim stated, as she stood over her double. "Ron does deserve better."

The alternate Kim spun out with her legs, trying to knock her opponent off her feet, but the original managed to leap over the attack, landing behind the alternate as she came up to her feet.

"That wasn't the first time he's put himself on the line for me. You've read my diary, you must know what he did for me, what he put himself through, just so that I could have Christmas with my family. What he's done for me every day that we ever went on a mission together."

The alternate Kim rolled her eyes as she kicked out, but the original leapt over the attack, coming down and landing a kick of her own to her double's side, knocking her back.

"Ron could have had a normal life a long time ago. Instead, he chose to come with me, to make sure I stayed safe battling super villains and all kinds of other crackpots like you."

Kim pressed her attack, with a series of punches, which her double managed to all dodge, except for the last one, which landed squarely in the side of her ribs.

"Friendship doesn't even come close to describe what we have. Maybe we were friends in kindergarten, but friends don't put themselves on the line for each other like Ron has for me. Friends don't make you laugh the way Ron makes me. I nearly lost myself to some fake, some blow up thug, and he saved me from myself."

The alternate Kim managed to bring herself away from the pain in her side long enough to see a solid fist knock her back, spurting blood from her mouth as she fell back.

"You'd never be able to understand what we've had. I guarantee your Ron never bothered to watch your backside. Say what you will, but you don't strike me as the trusting type. He'd probably leave you as soon as a better deal came long."

The other Kim rose to her feet, leaping forward with a flying spin kick, which Kim managed to duck, even as she dodged a kick to her legs, followed by another to her face.

"Your Ron will probably look the other way on a second's notice, but not mine. I can't imagine what I ever did to deserve someone like him, but I promise I'll rot before I ever let someone like you near him." Kim stated forcefully.

"Oh, you're going to suffer a lot worse than that." The leather clad Kim swore as she backed away, placing some distance between herself and her foe.

-----------------------------------------------------

"All very touching," The short haired Ron hacked, as he unsteadily rose to his feet. "But that doesn't change that you don't have what it takes to beat me."

"I've got less blood over my face, if that helps any." Ron added.

"Maybe," the other Ron admitted, "but you don't have this." Bringing himself upright through sheer hate, the short haired Ron extended his hand outward into the air, his fingers stretched as if to receive something.

Ron could only stare at confusion until he felt a slight gust of wind coming into the room, and a familiar presence tickle his senses.

"Oh no." Ron whispered as a familiar sword flew through the air, out of the corridor that he had seen Kim and Andrew disappear down, and into the other Ron's waiting hands. "The Lotus Blade." Ron exclaimed in silent horror.

-----------------------------------------------------

"You may have the boyfriend, and the heart warming sob story, but you are insane if you think that's all it takes to take me." The other Kim swore as she stood somewhat unsteadily.

"Well, I also think I've got the hair going for me too." Kim replied confidently.

"Not even. Besides, you certainly don't have this." As she spoke, the other Kim reached into her pocket, producing a small, silver bracelet that she fit loosely over her wrist.

For a moment, Kim's eyes struggled to take in the significance of the bracelet. By the time comprehension finally dawned upon her, it was already too late.

"Oh god." Kim exclaimed silently even as the metallic bracelet seemed to come to life, expanding and growing outward over the other Kim, covering her entire body with a pre-designed living armor. "The Centurion Project."


	11. Eleventh Hour Pleas

Andrew Lipsky continued his way down the long, narrowing corridor. He regarded the fact that the cavern around him hadn't shaken any further as a good sign. But with time rapidly running out, he forced his pace ahead as fast as possible, his guilt giving him all the power necessary.

He finally came into an enormous chamber, decorated with advanced computer terminals all around the room, and the incredible Mega Cannon positioned directly in its center, its tip sticking out through a large vent in the ceiling, exposing it to the air.

"Ah-ah-ah." A flashing green figurine leapt before the scientist, her hand glowing brilliant emerald. "Look… but don't touch." Shego grinned.

Of all the sights that Dr. Lipsky had been exposed to since crossing over to this world, this was the one that he had been dreading more than any other. Only a steel dedication to his duties, and a certain gold band around his finger, gave him the strength to face down this newest intruder.

"I… I have to shut that weapon down." Dr. Lipsky stated.

"Mmhmm, yeah, sorry. Not going to happen, but if you want, I'll let you grab a seat. The fireworks are going to start any minute now." Shego offered sarcastically.

"This is not some kind of light show. Real people are going to be hurt." Dr. Lipsky replied forcefully, already disgusted with this sick perversion of the most heroic woman his world had ever known.

"Well yeah. I kinda figured we weren't calling it a Mega Cannon so that we could use it to make it rain teddy bears all over the world!" Shego offered, her pose not wavering in the slightest.

"Certainly something to look in too for the future though." An eerily familiar voice came from the side, emanating from a tall, black haired man in a dark blue coat with slightly lighter blue skin and a scar beneath his left eye.

Dr. Drakken and Dr. Lipsky shared an awkward moment, as they stared at each other.

"I don't mean to pry, but just how did you…" Dr. Lipsky left his question unfinished, as he indicated to Drakken's scar.

"You know you're the first person to ask me that. The whole thing is quite fascinating actually…" but Drakken was cut off as Shego interrupted.

"Hey! Sorry to interrupt you two, but I believe we're in the middle of taking over the world here."

"Whatever you've been promised, I guarantee you, they lied to you." Dr. Lipsky stated confidently. "What was it? Did they offer you the Mega Cannon? They tell you they just wanted to go home after they had their fun? Empty promises."

Lipsky's words of caution seemed to come as no surprise to Shego. "Thanks for the warning." Without pause, Shego let fly with a blast of emerald energy, straight for the good doctor's head, but Andrew managed to dodge the attack, earning a slight burn to the side of his face in the process. Even as he did so, he reached into his pocket, drawing a dart gun, which he quickly leveled and fired.

Shego saw the weapon and managed to dodge the dart just as it flew past her. She quickly spun to her side just in time to see the white coated scientist fire again. Shego quickly moved to act, but her warning came too late as the second dart dug itself straight into Dr. Drakken's neck, directly injecting a powerful tranquilizer directly into the blood stream of the target, causing the mad scientist to crumble to the floor, unconscious.

Bringing herself around, Shego's claws flashed emerald energy, firing at and melting the dart gun to harmless goo, dripping out of Andrew Lipsky's hand.

"A gun, huh?" Shego sounded almost impressed. "I gotta say, I didn't think a goody two shoes like you would ever have the guts."

"Well, I must confess, I'm not much of a fighter." Andrew admitted sheepishly even as Shego moved closer, coming right up to him.

"Gee, that's a shame, cause I am." Shego's arm shot out to disable Andrew, but the scientist quickly caught the half hearted attack, twisting Shego's arm and flipping her over to the ground.

"Which is why my wife insisted that I make the time to pick up a few moves from her." Andrew continued proudly.

Shego merely scowled, pushing her hands back and throwing her legs together up into the air, crashing into Andrew's jaw and sending him stumbling to the ground.

"Well there's another free lesson for you." Shego scowled.

-----------------------------------------------------

Kim gasped at the sight of the living armor as it completely covered the figure of her alternate dimensional twin.

"So, I take it you've seen this neat little suit in action before." The other Kim grinned as she admired herself in her new outfit. "Then you probably know all about the nifty little features it has. All I have to do is think about killing you and this suit gives me half a dozen different ways to do it. For example," even as Kim spoke, the twin blasters located on each shoulder plate came to life, immediately responding to their master's will, automatically targeting and firing rapidly.

The original Kim leapt into action, running forward before jumping through the air, twisting as she flew to dodge the barrage aimed at her. Even as she came down, she turned to see twin cannons extend out, one from the top of each of her foe's arms. The other Kim brought the new weapons to bear, firing twin pulse blasts and hitting Kim head on, knocking her back.

"You know, as much as it is to blast you into submission…" Kim admired her armored fingers as they came to life before her, extending and sharpening into a deadly set of claws "… I really enjoy getting up close and personal."

-----------------------------------------------------

Ron stared in horror as his twin from across the dimensional whatever, he could never remember what they were calling it, waved the Lotus Blade in front of him.

"How… how did you get that?" Ron asked weakly.

"Oh that part was easy. I just called it to me." The other Ron stated simply.

"Called it?" Ron's mind carried him back to his first visit to the Yamanouchi School, and his encounter with the Lotus Blade. After it had fallen off the side of a mountain into the seemingly endless abyss beneath, Ron had still been able to summon the sword to him, causing the blade to literally fly right to him, and then straight into the side of the school wall. Ron knew that it was possible for one with Monkey power to call the blade, but to do so from across the entire globe was a feat he had always assumed impossible.

"Hey wait a minute; don't you have to be pure hearted to summon the Lotus Blade?" Ron asked.

"Oh I am pure hearted. There isn't an ounce of compassion anywhere in me." The other Ron announced proudly and coldly.

"I really don't think that's what was meant."

"Blame Sensei for not checking the fine print on those stupid ancient texts of his. I think I'll thank him personally by shoving this sword right into his heart… again." Even as the alternate Ron spoke, he leapt forward through the air with the enchanted sword, coming down to the ground and swiping with a slice that would have taken the original Ron's head clean off if he had not ducked back and dodged the attack.

Ron moved back dodging several slashes from the sword, but the blade moved with super natural grace and power, and the short haired Ron wielded it with a master's skill. Finally the sword struck true, driving straight into the original's right shoulder, eliciting a cry of agony as the shorted haired Ron slowly removed the sword, leaving the original Ronald to fall to the ground as the other admired the blood covering the sword's tip.

"Bet you thought I was just going to run you through and be done with it." The alternate Ron mocked cruelly as his twin crawled on the floor, struggling to keep pressure on his wounded shoulder. "Oh no. This isn't a fight to the death; this is just to soften you up. When I get my hands on her, I want you to watch."

Rage seared through Ron as he pressed himself past the pain, leaping up in the air to assail his twin. But Ron's arm was injured, his attack weak and sloppy as his twin easily dodged the weak punch thrown at him, only to retaliate with a roundhouse kick that knocked Ron back to the ground.

"So, still got some fight left in you, huh?" With this, the alternate Ron turned his focus on the Lotus Blade in his hand, focusing his will and power through the sword, prompting it to change its form, transforming into a long flail in his hand. "Well, let's see what we can do about that."

-----------------------------------------------------

Kim ran straight for her alternate self, leaping into the air, before landing directly in front of her opponent, driving her fist straight into her enemy's armored gut. The alternate Kim made no move to deflect or defend against this attack as Kim's fist impacted against the Centurion armor with a loud, ineffectual clang.

Kim's fist ached in response, but she tried to wave it off even as she kicked out with a roundhouse to the side of the alternate Kim's right leg, and a firm Judo chop against her neck. Each of Kim's attacks had the precise same effect, which was to hurt Kim more than her opponent as they impacted harmlessly against the armor.

Kim looked up to see her twin smiling smugly, totally unconcerned by her assault. Kim took her still sore fist and shot it straight for the alternate Kim's unprotected face. However, just as the clenched hand was about to reach that over confident grin, a metal shield shot over, perfectly covering the form and figure of the alternate Kim's visage, and protecting it from the assault.

Kim's fist reeled back once again in pain, allowing the shield to slide back as quickly as it had covered, revealing the smiling face of her foe.

"If you're done now…" The alternate Kim slashed out fiercely, tearing across Kim's exposed stomach, drawing blood from four parallel claw wounds that traced across the front of Kim's gut "... it's my turn."

The alternate Kim kicked out in the wound, knocking the wind out of Kim and sending her stumbling back. Kim pushed past the pain, coughing and hacking, looking up just in time to see twin rockets reveal themselves from within the back of the Centurion armor. The alternate Kim propelled herself forward across the room and straight into Kim, punching her as she flew past, and knocking the hero back into the ground.

Kim came up from the dirt of the floor just in time to see her armored twin hovering high in the air above her.

"You know, I really love this armor. I don't really use it too much; I just try to save it for special occasions. Something I picked up along the way. I noticed Ron was starting to get very interested in all that Monkey power crap, and I figured I out to pick up some super powers of my own. Like I always say, hokey religions and ancient superstitions are no match for a good piece of cybertronic armor." At her mental command, the armor's mounted shoulder blasters aimed down and began firing again, blasting down on Kim, forcing her to roll across the ground in a desperate attempt to escape the assault.

Kim continued to roll on the ground, until her armored opposite came crashing down, landing feet first right on top of her, prompting a cry of pain from the already battered hero.

"Bet that hurt."

-----------------------------------------------------

Ron flipped over the flail as the end came flying at him, missing, flying right past him and into the granite wall behind him, tearing out a large part of rock and debris with frightening implications before coming around and flying right back into the alternate Ron's hands.

"Why even bother stealing the Lotus Blade in this world? Can't you get one of your own?" Ron asked, his voice poorly concealing the agony he was putting his body through just to stay alive. Trying to dodge an ancient weapon with mystic powers, all the while he struggled to keep pressure over his shoulder wound.

"Blame it on Lord Montgomery Fiske. I'm not sure who he is in this world, but in mine he's a real pain in the tail. Managed to steal the blade back from me after finding some ancient mystic runes that keep anyone from calling the blade, mystic monkey power or not. Still, no sense crying over spilled blood." The alternate Ron swung the flail around by its enchanted chain, before letting it fly again.

Ron managed to sidestep the attack, before taking the opening to charge forward against the momentarily exposed enemy before him. As Ron reached his double, the alternate Ron reached down to active a control on his wrist device, prompting a purple gas to shoot out. Fortunately, Ron managed to see the attack coming and pulled his head back away from the gas, even as the end of the flail came back on command, tearing into Ron's backside, bringing him crumbling down to the ground in agony.

"Don't worry, I missed your spine. You're not done yet." The other Ron walked casually, swinging the flail in the air casually for a moment before pausing. "You know what sport I always hated as a kid?"

Even as the alternate Ron spoke, he held up the flail, prompting it to change once more, this time into a large ball made of solid steel. "Dodge ball." He finally answered, holding the new weapon in his hand.

"Yeah, me too." Ron admitted, every inch of his body screaming out in agony.

-----------------------------------------------------

Kim crawled across the floor away from her opponent, really wishing that she still had her battle suit with her right now. Even if was no direct match for the Centurion technology, it would still be better than nothing. Unfortunately, the suit had finally worn out its untested life. The last mission Kim had bothered to wear it on, the cable impulse had misfired on her, tying her up right in place even as a pair of thugs had moved to attack her. Getting out of that situation had been a challenge, yet it seemed pale in comparison to her current predicament.

"I'll tell you what, if you just lay down now, I'll let you watch as I break Ron in. You can even take notes." The alternate Kim mocked.

Pushing herself for one last desperate tactic, Kim reached down to grab her grapnel gun. Feeling its familiar grip within her hand, Kim aimed up and fired, feeling the grapple secure itself against one of the support beam that ran across the ceiling before activating the function aboard the gun that caused it to retract, lifting Kim with it into the air.

As Kim rose into the air, she watched energy bolts from the alternate Kim fly through the air after her. Uttering a silent prayer, Kim raised her legs, pressing against the wall, prompting her to fly through the air, chased by the aim of her twin the whole way. Kim lifted herself up at the last instant, before releasing her hold of the gun, allowing a series of energy bolts to fly straight past Kim and into the support beam.

Just as Kim hoped, the bolts blasted the beam free from its holding, causing it to fall down, landing directly on top of the alternate Kim and her armor.

For a moment, Kim let out a breath of relief, hoping that she had merely disabled her opponent. She was fairly certain that the Centurion armor was tough enough to protect someone from such an otherwise crushing attack, but her own limited experience with it had never really exposed it to that much punishment.

As such, Kim could not contain her shock or awe as the fallen beam slowly rumbled, eventually rising up before finally falling to the side, revealing one completely unharmed Kim Possible.

"Nice try, but fun's over." With this, the other Kim walked up simply toward her opponent, reaching out and knocking the battered Kim who was unable to defend herself unconscious.

-----------------------------------------------------

Ron could only run, or more accurately limp in a hurry, his aching and injured muscles permitting him to do nothing else, as the metallic ball flew through the air, following him as he ran, even as the alternate Ron laughed the whole time.

"Well if nothing else, you're certainly a good runner. I suppose after so many years of it, you'd have to at least be good at that much."

Ron stopped to duck and role, allowing the ball to fly past him and straight back into the other Ron's waiting hands.

"Well, not that this hasn't been fun, but all good things, and so on and so on." Ron went on as he hurled the ball one last time into Ron's gut, knocking the wind straight out of the battered and bruised hero, sending him spiraling into the darkness.

-----------------------------------------------------

Another fist smashed across Dr. Lipsky's jaw, knocking him back, forcing him to struggle back to his feet as he tried to contend with his foe who continued to toy with him.

"You seem to be enjoying this way too much." Dr. Lipsky noted bitterly.

"I know. I think that's because I have been actively suppressing the urge to beat the tar out of someone who looks just like you for a while now." Shego smiled widely as she kicked out once more, knocking Andrew Lipsky back into the wall.

"Listen to me, I know you. You don't want to do this." Dr. Lipsky desperately tried to reach out to the sinister woman in front of him.

"You think so? I don't know. Just to be safe, I should probably just keep hitting you till I'm sure." Shego replied just as she blasted a slab of rock to Andrew's side.

"You've got to believe me. The other Team Possible has lied to you."

"Yeah, we've been through this. Not surprised. Not worried either." Shego glared intently.

"Maybe not, but do you have any idea how many millions of lives are at stake? Not just on this world, but mine too. I'm asking you to help me save both our worlds."

"Uh-huh. I don't know if you've been keeping score, but here, I'm one of the bad guys." Shego replied with no small amount of pride.

"You still have people you must care about. People in both worlds that need you."

"Ok, you know what, I don't really see eye to eye with the people around here, and I guarantee there is no one where you're from that I give a flying freak about either." Shego proclaimed.

"What about your brothers? Us? What about your daughter?"

For a moment, time froze. Shego remained perfectly motionless, her face wide as Dr. Lipsky held his breath in anticipation.

"What?" Was all that Shego could weakly muster.


	12. A Villain's Triumph

The world slowly began to take substance and form around him as Ron Stoppable gradually awoke to the most unpleasant sensation of his face being dragged across a cold stone floor. The experience was not entirely new to him, but that made it no more enjoyable.

"You know I actually think this thing is heavier in this world." A voice mused absently; referring to an object in its hand, totally oblivious to Ron's slowly returning consciousness as it dragged him along by his left foot. Ron could barely look back to see a trail of blood marking his path through the tunnel behind him. It took him five seconds to realize it was his.

Ron could not help but groan in a dull agony as the ache of his body suddenly reached his mind, overpowering his desire to remain silent and unnoticed, yet he quickly closed his eyes as he did so, hoping against hope to fool his captor.

"Well, well. Rise and shine." Ron's conqueror taunted as he continued to drag him along the floor, picking up his pace just slightly. "Come on now, we don't want to sleep through the show, do we?"

Every muscle in Ron's body painfully reminded him of his failure. He'd gotten his butt handed to him. It was as simple as that. It didn't matter that he was fighting someone just as strong, smarter and more lethal than him wielding an ancient mystical weapon. Sensei had always taught him that such factors were meaningless. As long as the three elements were balanced, a true warrior could never know defeat.

So what did that make him? What was he missing that this guy had? How he could fail when so many people were counting on him.

"According to my watch, we've got just a minute to get seated, and then we can all enjoy the show. I know you must be curious which city we picked to go first on the chopping block. We eventually decided on Paris; the food there is just way overrated." The other Ron taunted as he carried his battered twin by the leg with one hand, and his new sword in the other.

Ron wanted nothing more than to just slip back into unconsciousness, and then wake up again finding this was all a bad dream. Sadly, he knew that wouldn't help. Instead, he reviewed his options mentally.

He could just sit back and watch the end of the world.

Bad idea.

He could muster what fading strength he had left and try and jump his double. Try to overpower him, maybe get his hands on the Lotus Blade, and see how Kim was doing.

Also a bad idea. Even if he had the strength to jump his 'twin', he certainly wouldn't be able to accomplish anything but get beat up all over again, and that was assuming he could somehow get the Lotus blade away from his enemy, which was unlikely at best.

Kim. Kim could still save the day. It was what she did best.

This thought quickly evaporated from Ron's mind as his twin dragged him into a large room, scorched by various apparent blast marks, littered with spare tools and equipment and a large steel beam on the floor, and occupied by a certain fearsome redhead, wearing a particular suit of armor that Ron's already horrified mind dreadfully recognized, and holding Kim's unconscious form up by the rough of her shirt.

_Oh god no._ Ron's mind threatened to shut down at the sight. _Kim._

"Well, I got mine. One loser sidekick." The other Ron announced triumphantly as he pulled the original a little further ahead of him before dropping him to the floor.

"I see that, and raise you one spoiled teen princess." The armored Kim declared proudly as she bent over to draw a spare claw across her battered opponent's face, taking actual care not to scratch the skin… yet.

Despair crushed Ron's heart as he looked to his friend, his girlfriend, his hero and her unconscious form. In this eleventh hour like every other, he had always turned to her when things got rough. Now, he felt alone and with no clue what to do. He had absolutely no idea how to beat another Team Possible with super powers.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. He had no idea how to beat them, but he was sure he knew someone who did.

"Wanna trade?" The other Ron asked his armored partner with a grin on his face. Yet no sooner had he finished his question then the original leapt up off the ground, catching his double completely off guard in a relaxed moment, twisting his hand with the sword in it behind him, causing him to drop the blade to the ground, while simultaneously pressing his own first two fingers to his double against a very specific pressure point he had learned of in Japan underneath at the very back where it met the neck.

A look of shock went wide across the other Ron's face, yet he found himself unable to voice it as his airways were cut off, giving him scarcely enough air to breath so long as he forced his head up against his double's pressure.

"Let Kim go." Ron stated firmly as he eyed the armored villain.

"Well, well. Guess my Ron didn't quite shatter your spine after all." The alternate Kim seemed almost impressed at this turn of events rather than concerned for her partner.

"I won't ask again." Ron eyed her fiercely.

The other Kim merely grinned before picking up the unconscious hero by the shoulder, and bringing her up to her armored chest, holding her up by her neck as she placed an armored claw to her cheek.

"So, we both got hostages. But mine's prettier than yours, I think." The alternate Kim taunted.

Ron's determination did not waver. Instead, he used his other hand to grab his double's right arm with the mysterious device around it and bring it up to his face.

"Your boyfriend tried to shoot me with this gas of his earlier, so I'm guessing that whatever it does, it's not pleasant. Let Kim go or he gets the full thing straight in his face." This threat notably caused the alternate Ron to struggle further, but the original Ron merely kept his two fingers pressed tightly against the pressure point on the throat, holding his twin firmly in place.

For a moment, the alternate Kim eyed Ron intently, before simply smiling. "You don't have the guts."

"Try me." Ron stated coldly.

"Ok." She replied simply. With that, she allowed Kim to fall to the floor, still unconscious, before mentally prompting a laser cannon to appear from within her right wrist, which she then proceeded to level squarely at Kim's head. "You've got to the count of three, and then they burry your girlfriend in a close casket. If you're going to make a move hero, now's the time. One." She announced loudly.

Ron looked down in anxiousness to the device on his twin's wrist, hoping that he had remembered the right button.

"Two." She kept her count.

Ron stared at the alternate Kim, desperately trying to see if she might waver in her threat. He already knew she wouldn't.

"Three!" She announced finally.

Panicked reflex guided Ron's hand to the right button, prompting a blue gas to shoot out right into the other Ron's face. The original dropped his hold over his twin, permitting the other Ron to throw his hands over his face as he fell to the floor.

The armored Kim merely wore a look of astonishment on her face… for a few seconds. This look quickly transformed into one of amusement as she began laughing aloud.

Ron looked at her astonished. "What are you laughing at?"

"You." Kim managed to get out between spurts. "I can't decide whether to kill you or thank you. I've been meaning to do that to him for so long now, I almost feel cheated." Her laugh echoed through the room, almost prompting icicles to form.

Ron knew he shouldn't have been surprised, but he still felt himself at a loss for words.

"You're sick.

"And you're out of surprises." Kim leveled her blaster at Ron to fire.

Honed instinct combined with long dormant Monkey power brought the Lotus blade from its resting place on the floor straight to Ron's hands. As it fell into his grip, the blade magically transformed according to Ron's thoughts into a perfectly circular shield that he brought in time to deflect the oncoming energy blast… right back at his enemy.

Kim felt the force of the blast itself knock her back to the ground. Unharmed, though severely irritated, she looked up to see Ron as he transformed the sword back to its natural state, standing perfectly posed and calmed.

"The true measure of a warrior is not the extent of their powers, but how and to what end they wield them." Ron recited aloud from his teachings.

"Famous last words." Kim growled as she mentally prompted the rockets on her armor to emerge, activating, propelling her forward through the air straight for Ron.

Ron didn't blink as he called on the Lotus Blade to transform yet again, this time into a lengthy chain rolled around his hand. As the armored Kim came flying at him, Ron's muscles leapt him into the air, and over his flying opponent.

As he landed, Ron turned about and flung an end of the chain through the air, wrapping it around the alternate Kim's right leg. Summoning all his strength, Ron pulled back on the chain, holding on to it with all his might as he used it to re-guide and swing the rocket propelled villain through the air around and around again and again before letting go, causing her to fly crashing into the side of the wall even as the chain unwrapped itself and returned immediately back into Ron's waiting hand.

The alternate Kim crashed into the cave wall before falling down to the ground, only to be buried beneath a few spare feet and several hundred pounds of rock, all of which managed to slow her down for less than a second.

Kim burst up from beneath the rubble, aiming dual pulse blasters from both her wrists straight at Ron who this time caught the full force of the attack head on, knocked back into the cave wall himself, only without any cybertronic armor to shield him from the pain.

Fuming mad, the alternate Kim moved across the room, coming up to the battered Ron and grabbing him by his neck, choking him as she raised him into the air for closer examination.

"That's a nasty cut there." Kim referred to the gaping wound in Ron's shoulder, the one that he had barely kept closed with bits of his own shirt. With sadistic glee, she pressed her armored fist into it with the force of a hammer, causing Ron's lungs to emit a deafening cry of agony.

Kim silenced Ron by slamming him back into the granite wall.

"You know, it's not that this wasn't fun, but seriously. What on earth made you think you had a chance against me?" Kim asked.

"N-nothing." Ron gasped. "B-but I had a feeling he would."

Kim never got a chance to let Ron finish his thought, nor was she able to turn around in time to see her own Ron Stoppable lunging toward her from behind with a sharp tip extending out from his wrist device into her armored backside.

"The purple gas is the poison, the blue is the antidote, you traitorous witch!" Just as it was designed to, the blade tip extending out from Ron's wrist device went to work, releasing a series of microscopic machines that began to seethe and course through the Centurion armor like a virus through the blood stream. The armor's neural receivers and responsive servo motors began to shut down. The suits power drained, and the living armor became an immobile metal straight jacket.

Kim struggled to move, yet the armor would not permit it. She found herself trapped and helpless, completely immobile, unable to even turn her own neck, staring at her own Ron with contempt.

"You…" Kim could not find the words.

"Sorry Kim, but I'm dumping you." Ron smiled as he pushed his helpless ex-teammate over to the floor, causing her to fall over stiffly as if she were an inanimate statue.

"Gee, and I thought you two were so perfect for each other." The original Ron mused sarcastically as he rubbed his bruised neck.

"Shut up." The fists of the alternate Ron came crashing down on the face of the original, knocking his face straight down into the floor. "I don't need a partner to kick your butt all over again."

"But you will for me." A familiar voice came from behind. The alternate Ron was as surprised as the barely conscious original to see the one and only Kim Possible rise to her feet, turning to face him as she readied herself once again for one last battle.

"So, princess. Getting back into the game are we?" Ron asked with the same amusement his partner had shown at his being taken hostage.

"No. But I am going to stop you."

For just a moment longer, the two stared at each other. Just a moment. Then, the moment passed.

The two moved in a blur, imperceptible to almost anyone else on the planet had they been able to witness, as Ron leapt forward to drop kick Kim, who leaned back to dodge the attack. Kim came up with a flying roundhouse kick that hit square on, knocking Ron back and drawing more blood from across his face.

"Game's over." Kim declared firmly.

Ron leapt back with a flying roundhouse kick of his own but Kim back stepped the attack, before moving forward a kick-punch-kick combo that Ron managed to deflect. Keeping her offensive up, Kim swept out and missed before coming up again with a solid blow to Ron's face.

Ron quickly retaliated with a haymaker which went wide, following through with a kick to Kim's ribs that hit, causing the heroine to bend over slightly in pain. Despite her determination, Kim's body still ached all over. She was on her second wind, and it wasn't going to last forever.

Kim came back up with a left that Ron ducked, then a right which he dodged, and finally another left which he caught and twisted. Kim wrists bent unnaturally, bending her with it, and exposing her side as Ron kicked out with force and strength aimed at her already bruised ribs.

"'A' for effort cupcake, but its going to take more than good intentions to stop me." Ron suddenly paused before his adversary as a thought occurred to him, causing him to look around at the tranquil state of the lair in confusion. "Wait a second, why hasn't the cave shaken yet?"

"Because it's not going too. Ever."

Dr. Andrew Lipsky's firm declaration came as a welcome sound to Kim and Ron's ears. The alternate Ron however was not so pleased.

"Don't you ever give up?" The alternate Ron asked as he looked at his nemesis with contempt. "After all the times you've failed, all the times you've lost, why the hell haven't you learned yet?"

"Apparently, I'm very stubborn." Dr. Lipsky replied simply.

Ron prepared to rush his foe when a flash of brilliant emerald energy came from the side, blasting Ron head on and knocking him to the ground unconscious.

Andrew Lipsky smiled as Shego walked over to the fallen form of the short haired Ron Stoppable, pausing for a moment as she whispered inaudibly. "That's for Sheila."

Shego then turned for a moment, smiling and nodding to Andrew Lipsky who returned the gesture.

"Just when I thought I finally had score of who the bad guys were and who wasn't." Ron groaned from the floor. The look of confusion on his face was a perfect reflection of the look on Kim's.

"So, does this mean it's over?" Kim asked uneasily, almost tensing her muscles for another fight, even as they ached in protest.

"It's over." Andrew Lipsky stated confidently, his gaze never leaving Shego's face


	13. A Princess' Rescue

A tense silence filled the room. Although the battle was won, the mood was anything but relaxed.

"Oh man, a parallel Shego." Ron groaned in poorly restrained misery. "Why can't any of these twins have goatees? This is totally ruining all of the classic clichés."

"It's me, twerp!" Shego proclaimed annoyed.

"Yeah, it's definitely her." Kim concurred disappointedly. "So, I don't suppose this means you're turning over a new leaf?" The battered teen super hero asked sarcastically.

"I owed that buzzed cut jerk one. This means we're even. That's all." Shego stated coldly.

"Shego agreed to help me. We'll leave it at that." Dr. Lipsky interjected, careful to act before another fight broke out. There had been enough violence already, and he was painfully aware of his role in much of it. Even as he stepped forward, he and Shego exchanged a knowing glance for a moment before the green clad villain turned about, without saying another word, and began walking away deeper into the lair.

"Oh no you don't. You don't get to walk away from this…." Kim moved to act as she spoke at Shego, but was stopped in her tracks as Dr. Lipsky's hand forcefully placed itself on her shoulder.

"Let her go."

"Go? She helps team Possible blow up the Grand Canyon and god only knows how many people in the area, and you want to just let her go?" Kim eyed the scientist incredulously, wondering whether or not he shared any of the same madness that this world's Drakken had.

"I don't particularly want too, but that was the deal for her help." Dr. Lipsky replied as he cast a wary gaze in the direction that he had seen Shego walk off in. "Besides, I rather doubt we really could have forced the issue if we had to." Andrew indicated to several bruises over Kim's body as well as a visible limp in her posture.

"Yeah, you know, speaking of which… sidekick in mortal agony over here." Ron called out even as he continued to press his blood soaked makeshift bandage over the wound in his shoulder.

"Oh god Ron." Kim's concern over Shego quickly vanished, replaced by concern for Ron as she moved to tend to him. Kim brought her hand over to her right shoulder and tore her sleeve straight off her mission shirt. Tensing and stretching the fabric between her hands, she moved to wrap the material over Ron's shoulder even as she moved his original bandage over to take a look at his injury.

"How bad is it?" Ron asked as he bit down the urge to hiss in pain.

Kim paused a moment before shooting Ron a mock look of concern. "Terminal."

"Funny KP, but my death bed is not the place for jokes!" Ron cried out.

"It's not as bad as it looks." Kim replied with an almost maternal tone before her voice shifted, turning just a little naughty. "But it'll probably leave a really sexy scar."

"Really? Badical!" Ron exclaimed.

Kim just smiled as she tore off her remaining sleeve to make a poor mans sling to go around Ron's arm and neck. As she moved to place the fabric around the back of his head, she caught him grinning widely, his eyes roaming over the rapidly vanishing remains of her shirt.

"Don't get any ideas, Stoppable." Kim chided through a grin on her face.

"I'm a guy KP. I get ideas watching the paint dry."

-----------------------------------------------------

"You idiot, you stupid, stupid idiot. We could have had everything. Two worlds; that's one for each of us in case that enhanced brain of yours can't do basic math and you ruined it all." Kim shouted from the floor facing up, trapped within the still immobile Centurion armor. Her partner remained unconscious several feet away, his hands and legs tied in case he came around.

"You know, it would probably count as both cruel and inhumane, but you think we could stick the two of them in the same cell." Kim asked as her armored twin continued to grumble and rant on.

"You want to see cruel, sister? Oh just wait till I get out of this. I will redefine every aspect of your life as painful and mmmph!" The armored Kim was cut off as Ron tore a part of his own shirt off and stuffed it into her mouth, gagging her and silencing her threats.

"Listening to that for twenty four hours a day definitely qualifies as cruel and inhumane, KP." Ron explained simply.

"I imagine they will both be put in isolation under extreme lock and guard." Dr. Lipsky stated confidently even as he continued to work on the Dimensional Vortex Generator. With the Mega Cannon already disabled thanks to Shego's help, remodifying it to send him home was the only thing on his mind.

Almost on cue, Dr. Lipsky completed the final adjustment, activating the device, prompting the same swirling blue vortex that had occurred several times over the last few days to appear in the middle of the room.

"And what about you? What will you do when you get back?" Kim asked.

"I suppose what the two of you do so well, save the world." Lipsky smiled back at the young pair.

"Don't sound too anxious dude. It's a full time job, and the hours are cruel." Ron added.

"True, but I'll have help. With team Possible out of the game, Global Terror will be at its own throat, tearing itself apart within the week. And there are other heroes where I'm from. Lord Montgomery Fiske, Lord Killigan, the world's most heroic Croquet player… I won't be alone. I'm getting my wife back and I'm setting my world right." A look of confidence and hope spread across Andrew Lipsky's eyes as he spoke.

"Good luck." Kim smiled, taking the doctor's hand in her own, shaking as she starred the hero from another world in the eye.

"Take it easy dude. Stop by for a visit sometime and I'll teach you how to make a mean grande size naco!" Ron added, forgoing a handshake with his wounded arm in favor of a head nod.

"Someday." Andrew nodded, before turning to his prisoners, grabbing each by a leg as he prepared to drag them back through the portal. "You know I've been waiting to do this for a very, very long time."

"Worth the wait?" Ron asked, already knowing the answer.

"Absolutely." With that, Andrew and the alternate team Possible entered the swirling vortex, and disappeared from sight as the portal closed behind them.

"So, the world famous Team Possible saves not one, but two worlds in one day! That has so gotta be a record, even for us." Ron declared proudly, even as he winced at the pain in his shoulder.

Kim smiled widely as she turned to Ron. "So, did you miss all this over in Japan?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"You kidding KP, this is what I live for." He beamed.

"And what about this?" Kim leaned, placing her hand gently around the back of his head as she pulled Ron's lips to her own. Their eyes closed simultaneously as they became lost in each other's touch, seconds stretching out into an eternity that both would have given anything to preserve, finally pulling away at the need for air.

"Oh yeah." Ron let out as a whisper. "You know KP, we really haven't had nearly as much 'alone' time as normal." His voice continued in a more normal volume, thickly laced with implication.

"True." Kim continued to grin widely, her arms slowly wrapping their way around Ron's neck as she pulled herself gently closer to him.

"And here we are now, alone, on a deserted island, in the middle of nowhere…"

"If you have to finish that sentence, I will kill you." Kim's lips were mere centimeters from Ron's when the ceiling of the room the pair stood in burst, a large hole opening up on top, through which several ropes dropped down, heralding a unit of GJ agents in uniform, dropping into the room.

"Team Possible." The lead agent saluted as the other agents cleared through the room, securing every corner, every inch of the facility. "We received a call from Dr. Lipsky. We understand you could use a ride home."

"Uhmm… no?" Ron replied uncertainly, as if it might discourage the agents.

Kim, on the other hand, just sighed, smiling as she took Ron by his good arm. "Come on Ron, we should get home. We got school tomorrow."

"What! No, wait, leave me here. Someone's gotta take the Lotus Blade back. I'm sick, I need medical attention!" Ron cried out.

-----------------------------------------------------

"_Do spies get paid by the hour? Am I going to get dragon pay out of this?" Special Agent Ronnie Stoppable continued on and on even as Princess Kimmie Possible waited anxiously atop the tree branch and it's nailed in wooden boards._

"_You are taking way too long! I coulda been eaten by the dragon already or worse… I coulda already been rescued by another knight!"_

"_How is that worse? Doesn't that mean I can go home?" Ronnie asked._

"_Hurry up! It's getting cold up here." Kimmie ordered._

_Ronnie merely grumbled something inaudible as he continued climbing. The few branches he had left to climb seemed miles apart as he worked his way up to the top of the tree, finally bringing himself up to the wooden plateau where his princess waited. Ronnie let out an exasperated gasp before finally speaking in a faux British accent, which at the time, he was under the impression, was how spies spoke._

"_Princess Possible, Agent Stoppable, Ron Stoppable, at your… rescue." Ronnie announced as formally as he could._

"_My hero. And now, for your reward." Kimmie proclaimed. Even as she took her spy by the hand, she readied herself for what she had already decided was her favorite part of being a princess._

_Kimmie leaned her face forward to meet Ronnie's, her lips pressed together, causing the young man to take a step back. "Hey wait a minute; I don't remember agreeing to this. Isn't there supposed to be gold involved?"_

_As Ronnie stepped back in surprise and hesitation, he took one step too many backwards, stepping over the back end of the planks, and falling over._

_Kimmie shot forward, leaning over the side of the planks and grabbing Ronnie by his ankle, leaving him to dangle precariously high over the solid ground beneath him._

"_AHHH! Help!Quick.Call911.GettheNationalGuard.Pututthebatsignal.Iwantmymom!" Ronnie squealed in hysterical panic, even as Kimmie struggled to hold on._

"_Ron… you're too heavy." Kimmie gasped as she heaved to try and lift Ronnie up._

"_Hey, are you calling me fat?" Ronnie asked, his mind temporarily distracted from the more pressing issue at hand._

"_Ron…" Kimmie could feel her grip slipping. Acting without thinking, Kimmie decided to stop resisting the grip, rolling over the edge with Ron, allowing the pair to fall together._

_Even as they fell, Kimmie grabbed Ronnie, pulling him close to her, taking him in her arms as she aimed herself with him in tow for a nearby tree. Almost super human agility and grace came into play as Kimmie directed herself from branch to branch, hopping from one to the other downward in an attempt to move in flow with gravity than fail to resist it directly._

_Ronnie screamed the whole way down as Kimmie leapt from one last branch to another, and then down to the ground. It took him another ten seconds of screaming before his mind finally processed that the danger had passed. _

_Kimmie had taken those same ten seconds to decide that she didn't like playing princess much. It just didn't seem to suit her for some reason. Still, as she paused to look at Ronnie's freckled face, she could still remember the reason for wanting to play in the first place._

"_My hero." Kimmie repeated. As Ronnie turned to look at her in confusion, Kimmie brought her face directly into Ronnie's, kissing him and muffling his screams of agony. Of course, those muffled screams endured for approximately three seconds. Their kiss lasted exactly eight._


End file.
